


An Even Worse Situation

by TalleyBear



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Daryl Dixon Needs a Hug, F/M, Insecure Daryl Dixon, Near Death Experiences, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, Young Daryl Dixon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:07:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22204573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalleyBear/pseuds/TalleyBear
Summary: Daryl and Emilie know true horrors because of the apocalypse, so when they are kidnapped and placed in another world, it's gotta be better, right?Of course not.With man eating giants roam around, and Daryl would never had thought that he would miss the walkers. The walkers were human-sized, slow, and only really a threat in large groups or in close quarters.Titans were humongous and could just as easily step on you as they could eat you.When they are found by the scouts, Emilie being in critical condition, they are brought into the walls when one of the scouts knows them. Nothing is as it seems.Everything is a lie.You can't trust anyone.Betrayal is inevitable.
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s), Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 7





	1. I. Blood and Giants Part One

**Author's Note:**

> I'm only gonna add in characters as I write them in. Some ships are not shown, but I will reveal them eventually. Warning for cussing.

**Chapter One; Blood and Giants Part 1:**

Daryl lowered his crossbow looking at the man in front of him. The two made eye contact, before the other man smirked, showing his teeth. "You gone soft, Dixon? After all this time.. you still haven't learned that you can't trust anyone... Oh, well.. can't say I'm going to regret this."

"Huh..?" Daryl looked confused, but by the time the realization hit him, a yell caught his attention. A gunshot went off and Daryl flinched, expecting to feel the piercing pain of a bullet. Instead, someone fell behind him and Daryl got a bad gut feeling.

"Ah.. seems your little girlfriend here wasn't too far behind." The man chuckled, and Daryl turned around in a hurry, only to spot the limp form of Emilie. She had been shot in the abdomen, and Daryl desperately hoped that she would survive.

Another chuckle came from the man, "I'll send her with you, if that'll help.. she probably won't last long, though." Daryl barely resisted the urge to turn around and deck the guy. What the hell was this guy talking about? Send them where, exactly?

"You're confused." Daryl scoffed, kneeling by a wounded Emilie. She reached one of her hands up, weakly, and touched his face. He resisted the urge to cry, for he needed to protect her from any further danger.

"You'll understand eventually.. for now though, it's about time we end this conversation." Daryl didn't have a chance to resist as the man hit him in the back of the head hard, effectively knocking him out.

The last things Daryl saw were Emilie's tearful blue eyes, and the blood standing her light blue t-shirt as well as his jacket. He prayed that she would be alright, for he couldn't live without her.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

When he finally woke up, he had one hell of a headache. He opened his eyes, only to immediately close them, as the bright sunlight hurt his eyes. He tried again, this time bringing an arm up to act as a sun visor for his eyes.

What met him was very different from what he was used to. The blue sky was the same.. but something was definitely off. The air felt different.. it smelt foul, and Daryl honestly couldn't place what he thought it was.

A groan came from his right, and he looked only to see Emilie. One hand was placed on her clothed abdomen, blood covering both. "Em..!" Daryl hurriedly rushed to her side, trying to pull her hand away from her abdomen.

The girl simply whimpered in response, reluctantly allowing him to move her hand and replace it with both of his. Daryl had no idea what to do, she was losing blood and he had no way to know if she had any internal bleeding.

Even if he managed to stop her from bleeding on the outside, if she was bleeding internally.. Daryl would lose his best friend, someone who had been by his side for years. He didn't think he could handle it.. and thinking about it certainly wasn't helping.

Daryl ignored giant footsteps as the approached his and Emilie's position. He was too preoccupied with trying to save her to realize that something very big and dangerous was approaching them.

Her blue eyes were staring directly at Daryl before they darted to something visible over his shoulder. She gasped, "D-Dare..." She couldn't get the words out, the unimaginable fear preventing her words from escaping.

He flinched, confusion hitting him. Daryl was almost reluctant to turn around but judging by the look in Emilie's eyes, he needed to. He turned, albeit reluctant at first, to face something that would've probably been in Emilie's nightmares.

"What the fuck?!" Daryl looked up at the massive humanoid creature that was now just staring at them. The creature's size wasn't the only thing that freaked him out though, it was also the almost insane smile that formed when Daryl looked at it.

It was almost like it had been waiting for him to turn around.. but by the mindless look in its eyes, he doubted it would be smart enough for that. Daryl had never really felt intense fear for walkers, except for on a few occasions.

This thing though.. whatever the hell it was, sent a chill down his spine. He was frozen in fear, but then coughing from Emilie broke him out of it. "W-Watch o-out..!" Daryl rolled out of the way, barely managing to avoid the giant hand that was reaching for him.

The thing seemed to focus solely on Daryl, and seemed to completely ignore Emilie's existence. He looked around, before spotting his crossbow on the ground. Judging by the thing's massive size, the crossbow wouldn't do much if anything at all.. but Daryl had to try.

Timing his dodge near perfectly, he avoided its hand and managed to pick his crossbow up. Luckily, an arrow was already loaded.. and Daryl raised the crossbow to aim at the thing's left eye. He pulled the trigger, a little surprised when the arrow hit, hitting the thing directly in the eyeball.

The eyeball wasn't very damaged, but the thing let out a roar of pain. Daryl took the opportunity to hurriedly pull the crossbow strap onto his shoulder. He picked a crying Emilie up, then ran. He didn't know where he was running, but anywhere was better than here.

Daryl was disturbed to find many more of the creatures lurking about. They seemed to be of different varieties, all being big, but just how big seemed to be a differing factor with them. To his relief, and partial horror.. there was a giant wall.

However, there was a giant hole in the wall.. one just large enough to fit most of the creatures of varying sizes. Daryl knew it was risky, mainly because of the high probability that the creatures were in the society that was on the other side of the wall.

He didn't have much choice and figured that it was worth it. He had to protect Emilie, but he knew that the chances of there being none of the creatures in there was slim. Daryl had made his decision though, running towards the hole.

The man dodged the incoming creatures' hands and finally made it closer to the hole. From this distance, he could tell that there were a few of the creatures present within. As he managed to run in, all the while avoiding giant hands and massive feet, only destruction awaits him.

There were destroyed houses and blood everywhere. Emilie whimpered in his arms, and Daryl knew that she was in a lot of pain. She had been shot before, but never in the stomach. She had taken a shot to the shoulder back in freshman year of high school, and it definitely wasn't a pleasant memory.

Emilie had received a gunshot wound in her thigh back when Rick, Glenn, and she attempted to convince her father to leave the farm and come home. That led to a shoot out when some guys showed up at the bar, and Emilie was hiding next to Glenn, when she realized that blood was staining her jeans.

He flinched a little as the sounds of what sounded like galloping horses approaching Emilie and him. There were probably people there then.. but it sounded like they were coming from the same way that he had come from.

"Shit..." Daryl whispered, trying to find somewhere safe to take Emilie. To his relief, there seemed to be a small building that was still standing. He ran towards it, before stopping in his tracks as a foot stepped on building, effectively crushing it.

His heart dropped as the creature then turned around to face him. It then proceeded to jump, almost fly at them, and Daryl gasped, barely managing to get out of the way in time. The humanoid creature slammed into the ground, tearing up the already damaged ground.

Daryl turned, trying to protect Emilie from the blast of debris. He managed, somehow, but the giant creature was still there. It got back up, and Daryl was about ready to try to run past it. It wasn't the best idea, but he really didn't have many options at this point.

"Holy shit.. what're we gonna do..?" Daryl asked himself quietly, trying to decide if the risk of trying to run past the creature was worth it. Before he could make a decision though, the horses got closer, then he heard a zipping sound go right past him.

If Daryl wasn't a good hunter, he might have been unable to spot the quick movements of the person zooming past him. Before he could even react, the creature had a large slice taken out of the nape of its neck, presumably inflicted by the person who zipped past him.

Daryl stared in surprise, then when a bunch of horses pulled up, he was shocked. There were people here after all, and they all wore green capes or cloaks. He then spotted the man who had killed the creature. The man was short, only about a couple inches taller than Emilie.

There was a blond haired man with dramatically big eyebrows, "Place the girl on the ground, and put your hands up." The man ordered Daryl, who looked at him in reluctance. He didn't want to set Emilie down, he was scared that she would die the second he put her down.

As the man stared Daryl down, the crossbow man let out a sigh. He gently lowered Emilie to the ground, and the girl simply whimpered in response. "Did you come from outside Wall Maria?" The man questioned as Daryl raised his hands.

He scrunched his brow in confusion, now feeling the stares of everyone. One of the people staring at him though, who Daryl saw directly to his right, was giving him an odd look-- one that was different than the rest.

"I... I don' know what you're talkin' abou'..." The man looked at him, looking as though he didn't believe Daryl. Before Erwin could say anything, a woman's voice interrupted him, "Commander Erwin, wait." The person who had been giving Daryl the odd look spoke up.

"Anna.. do you know them?" Daryl knew the name, but he shook it off still not able to get a good look at the person. The person hesitated for a moment, "I think so.. but I don' know how they're here..." The person was definitely female, if their voice was anything to go by.

The woman got off of the horse, and slowly walked to where Daryl was able to see her face. "Daryl.. Daryl Dixon, is that really you?" He stared in surprise at the strawberry blond. She was really alive..? "An--" Before he could say her name, Emilie spoke softly.

"A-Ann-na..."

Anna's attention completely went to Emilie in that moment, and she kneeled by the small brunette. "What the hell happened?" She questioned, examining Emilie's clothed abdomen. "G-Gunshot..." Daryl stuttered, still in slight shock from seeing Anna.

"Shit.. there's severe blood loss, and I hope to God that there's no internal damage.. Hange, come 'ere for a sec, please?" Anna's voice sounded calm, but the undertone indicated her panic. She pressed her hands to the wound, before glancing up as another woman came over.

**(I know Hange's gender isn't defined as male or female, but I decided to make them female in this. Sorry if this offends you.)**

Anna told Hange what she needed the other woman to do, while Daryl spoke with the commander. "Are you from the same place as Anna?" Daryl nodded, "Yeah, I'm surprised to see her here.. and alive at tha'..." He was happy to see Anna but considering the situation with Emilie, he didn't feel the amount of joy that he normally would.

Daryl looked down at his hands, which were stained with Emilie's blood, thinking for a moment. The man who had killed the creature was observing Daryl, his steely eyes showing no emotion. "I.. wha' was tha' thing?"

The redneck looked over at the steely eyes man, "A Titan." Titan.. Daryl supposed that titan could refer to giants, so he guessed that the name was pretty accurate. At Daryl's silence, the man let out a 'tch' sound before turning towards the commander.

"What's the plan?"

The commander sighed, "The woman.. what's her name..?" Daryl crossed his arms, "Her name is Emilie." Erwin nodded, "As I was saying.. Emilie is badly injured and since Anna here knows them I think it would be a wise idea to help the two of them."

"Wise..? Erwin, we are outside Wall Rose.. staying here would be fucking stupid." The commander looked at the shorter man, giving him a stern look. "Now, now Levi.. I never said we were going to stay here. Let's get the bleeding to stop.. then we'll head into Wall Rose."

The man, Levi, nodded reluctantly before looking toward Hange and Anna, who were still trying to stop the bleeding. Levi walked towards them, looking pointedly at Hange, "Oi shitty glasses, how bad is it?" Said woman sighed, "Due to the sheer amount of blood loss, there's a high chance that the bullet nicked an artery."

Anna spoke up next, "There's most likely internal bleeding.. but we should wait to deal with that." Anna's calmness surprised Daryl, she was typically more panicked in these kinds of situations. Her calmness was a bit unsettling, considering Anna's normal demeanor.

"We can't wait, she might bleed to death before we get there!" Daryl was extremely worried, and slightly shocked at Anna's words. Emilie was her best friend, and she was really gonna risk Emilie dying? Daryl didn't believe it, Emilie was in critical condition and with her blood loss, she might die.

Levi glared at Daryl, "Maybe so.. but if we fucking stay here, we'll all be fucking Titan bait." Daryl flinched a little, but reluctantly agreed with the man's statement. He would rather them risk waiting, than her and everyone else potentially getting eaten by a Titan.

The shorter man then, to Daryl's surprise, kneeled by Emilie's side. Levi placed a hand on her forehead, surprised at the heat he felt. Emilie leaned into his touch, only because she felt so fucking hot and his hand felt like ice. "She has a high fever, Hange."

He stated, pulling his hand away. Levi was a bit bothered by Emilie leaning her head into his hand, but figured that his hand felt like ice to her. Hange looked at him, "So, shorty.. anything else?" She had noticed Levi's silence, trying to get his attention.

The woman simply received a glare in response, and Levi got up from his kneeling position. Levi got onto his horse, looking at the commander as said man spoke up. "Keep on the lookout for Titans, Levi. Hange, Anna, stop the bleeding or slow it if the former will take too much time."

Both women nodded, continuing to work on Emilie. After some contemplation, Anna glanced up at Daryl. "Hey, Daryl.. can I borrow your belt for a bit..?" He scrunched his brow in confusion, "Huh.. oh... Yeah." He quickly unbuckled his belt before walking over to hand it to Anna.

She nodded, giving him a soft thanks, before looking at Hange. "Can you lift her up for me? This will act as a makeshift tourniquet." Hange nodded, lifted Emilie up who let out a small sound of pain. Daryl winced, wanting nothing more than to make the pain go away, but he had no way of doing it.

Anna wrapped the belt around Emilie, and tightened it. Emilie fell back into Anna, who held her gently. "Commander, we managed to slow the bleeding.. how should we proceed..?" Anna questioned, holding a whimpering Emilie close to her.

Commander Erwin looked at her, "Bring her to Levi's horse." He stated, and Levi looked at him. "What? Why do I have to deal with the filthy brat?!" He received a stern look from Erwin. Anna looked at Levi as she slung Emilie's arm over her shoulders.

"I trust you to make sure that she stays awake.. if she falls asleep, she may never wake up. If we put her in the cart, she definitely won't be able to stay awake." Anna explained, but Levi scoffed, "Why don't you ride with her then?" Anna shook her head, "Because I want Daryl to ride with me."

Daryl stared at her in surprise, watching as she walked over to Levi's horse. Levi helped her, tying a rope to part of the saddle. He still looked irritated, a prominent frown on his lips. They adjusted Emilie, who opened her eyes as she was placed on the horse.

"Em.. stay awake for me, please?" Anna spoke softly to the brunette, who looked at her weakly. She barely managed a nod, before looking away. She didn't seem to be fully registering her surroundings at the moment.

Levi scoffed, looking at the brunette. She was tiny and didn't even fill all of the saddle. She was absurdly thin, and he doubted that she even weighed 90 pounds. He honestly doubted she even weighed 80, but it wasn't his business.

Anna gave him a knowing look, before getting on her horse and offering her hand to Daryl, who accepted it. Levi sighed internally, honestly finding the whole situation irritating. He knew there would be trouble with the Military Police once they were within Wall Rose.

All of them headed in the direction of Wall Rose, to the gate that specifically led into Trost District. Anna rode quietly, before finally sighing. "So.. did ya ever tell her?" She looked over her shoulder at Daryl.

He shrugged, "Tell 'er wha'..?" He feigned confusion but Anna wasn't falling for it. "Ya know what I'm talkin' abou' Dixon..." Daryl looked reluctant, not wanting to tell. "I don' wanna talk abou' it..." He didn't answer clearly, but Anna understood him perfectly.

"She rejected you then..?" Daryl remained silent, hoping that she would give up. She quieted herself, acting like she was giving up.. in reality though, she already knew the answer, and his lack of response only confirmed it.

There was no doubt about it.. Emilie knew that Daryl had romantic feelings for her, and she had rejected him, due to her not returning his feelings.

Anna glanced over at Emilie and Levi, her eyes scanning Emilie's form. Emilie barely weighed anything when she was at her normal weight, but she looked to have lost a lot, even compared to the last time that Anna had seen her.

She glanced back at Daryl, "Somethin' happened.. didn't it?" Daryl hesitated for a moment before finally settling with, "Can you be more specific?" Anna wanted to punch him for his stubbornness, he was truly agitating.

"Look at Em, Daryl.. she didn't lose that weight overnight. Wha' happened? And give me a straight answer this time.. please?" Daryl didn't want to answer, the memories of what have happened popping into his head. If had only been a few months ago, and he would never forget.

He knew Emilie wouldn't forget either. How could she forget it? It was what triggered her lack of appetite, and as a result weight loss. They didn't have much nutrition in the apocalypse, but Emilie refused to eat what they had unless Daryl forced her.

"They.. they hurt 'er..." Is all Daryl said, not willing to tell Anna just yet. Anna looked back at him, waiting for him to continue. She eventually let out a sigh before looking forward, and looked up as they saw approached the gate that led into Trost.

"That's Wall Rose." Anna pointed towards the wall, and Daryl looked at it. Daryl wondered just how many walls there were. This one didn't look broken, unlike the last one, so Daryl figured that they probably had multiple walls in case of one or more of them being broke and invaded.

The wall was gigantic and Daryl found himself gawking at it. "How's Beth?" Anna suddenly asked, making Daryl inhale sharply. His face dropped to one of guilt, and he held back tears. He had forgotten that Anna had already disappeared by the time that Beth had perished at the hospital.

"She.. she's gone…" Daryl said softly, looking down. He still blamed himself for it as well as for what had happened to Emilie. He blamed himself for Glenn's death as well as Abraham's.. if he had just held back, everything could have been okay. "So is Glenn…" He didn't mention Abraham, aware that Anna wouldn't even know who he was talking about.

"Oh…" Anna's tone changed, and she sounded genuinely upset. Her reaction wasn't surprising though, considering how close she was with Beth and Glenn. She was silent for the rest of the ride, wondering why they had been taken out of one disaster only to be placed in another.

Daryl sighed, just hoping that Emilie would be alright. He couldn't lose her, and dreaded the mere thought of it. The man looked up at the gate, letting out a deep breath. He had a bad feeling about this, but he didn't have any other choice but to go in.

He refused to let her die.. he had to protect her.

Even if it meant his death would happen be sooner...

He didn't care, as long as she was safe…

Even if it meant her hating him...

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

**That's the end of part one of the Blood and Giants chapter. I'll be trying to get the second part written and posted soon.**

**Sorry if anything about either franchises is wrong, especially AOT. You can correct my mistakes on AOT but please don't correct the ones about the TWD. If events are inaccurate about TWD it's because I changed things, or just haven't watched the events of the show past season 5(Spoiler alert, it's both), with the exception of some scenes.**

**Daryl and Beth are much younger than they were in the show, Daryl being 26 and Beth being 12. I made this change because I wanted to, and I will respect your opinion about it unless you start dogging me about it.**

**I know Daryl said Beth was dead, but I've decided to have her live. Someone saved her as the bullet wasn't fatal, and grazed her head. She was knocked out cold though. I'll explain more later.**

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you have enjoyed.**

**Sincerely, TalleyBear.**


	2. Blood and Giants Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilie is patched up, and Anna and Levi talk.
> 
> A familiar blonde makes her way into the 104th Training Corps, definitely a changed person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if there are any accuracies with the treatment of a gunshot wound. I'm not an expert and while I did read about it, I might have wrote something wrong, or misinterpreted things. Please tell me if that's the case.

**Chapter Two; Blood and Giants Part 2:**

***** **_Flashback*_ **

_ Emilie walked down the corridor, glancing towards her destination. An open cell, with the occupant still presumably awake. She knocked on the frame, "Come in." The voice of her baby sister greeted her. She moved further into the doorway that way her sister could see her, "Hey, Beth.. Daryl said you wanted to talk..?" _

_ The young girl confirmed it with a nod, sitting up on her bed. Emilie took it as an invitation and sat down next to Beth. "Is this about what happened on the supply run..?" Beth was silent, sadness present in her big blue eyes. She didn't cry, which was something that disturbed Emilie. _

_ Beth, despite her young age, was known for her empathy and compassion for others. "It's okay to cry y'know.. I know tha' you had a crush on Zach… It's okay to cry, it's just a part of bein' human…" Beth didn't respond at first, her eyes simply looking over at the board that now had the words '0 days without an accident' on it. _

_ "I can't cry.. I'm weak… If I cry, I.. I won't be able to stop." Emilie could hear the sadness in Beth's normally cheery voice. The brunette let out a sigh, brushing a hand through her younger sister's hair. "It's not true." Beth looked up at Emilie. "You're not weak.. an' for damn certain, cryin' doesn't make ya weak. It's a par' of human nature to feel sadness.. the only difference is how ya express it." _

_ Beth jumped up, "That's a lie..! Sadness and cryin' make ya weak.. that's why you an' Daryl are strong… Ya two are never sad abou' anythin'..!" Emilie narrowed her eyes, almost looking offended at the implication, "Even if tha' was true, Beth.. that wouldn' be wha' makes us strong." _

_ The young girl looked like she was in denial, and Emilie knew that this was Beth's way of coping. Emilie cried much more than Beth seemed to believe and so did Daryl. They didn't do it in front of people, since if they did, the other people would be more likely to cry. _

_ Daryl was emotionless sometimes, that was for sure. He cared about others and hid his emotions a lot of the time. His emotions only really come out when someone he cares about is in danger. The redneck's emotions are only really noticeable in his eyes as well as his actions. _

_ Emilie had learn to understand his actions, even the very subtle ones and as such could read him like a book. She thought about how best to approach the situation with Beth, before something in her mind clicked. "Strength is the ability ta overcome weakness, Beth.. you can cry, as long as you don' let it affect yer judgemen'..."  _

_ This seemed to get Beth more willing to listen, so Emilie decided to continue, "I cried when Anna an' I foun' 'er mother.. I let it affect my judgemen'... An' ended up with…" Emilie slid the top her sleeve down, revealing her left shoulder. Beth stared at the scarred bite mark on Emilie's shoulder, "This…" _

_ The young girl continued to stare for a moment, before finally looking at Emilie's face, "I was weak.. not because I cried, but because I let it affect my decisions. Crying isn' a weakness, Beth.. matter of fact, it's a sign of strength." Emilie pulled her sleeve back up. _

_ Beth contemplated Emilie's words for a moment, "I.. I'm sorry, Em.. for bein' so rude about it…" Emilie shrugged, "It's fine, I can definitely understand where ya are comin' from." Emilie let out another sigh, "Anythin' else, lil sis?" Beth nodded quickly. _

_ She sat back down on the bed, before reaching under her pillow. Beth grabbed something, and Emilie was surprised when it was revealed to be a pocket knife. "Wha' is this abou'?" The blond just handed Emilie the pocket knife before speaking. "Remember how Daryl broke the pocket knife tha' ya gave 'im..?" _

_ The brunette nodded, "Well… I foun' this one under some weeds by one of the guard towers.. I figured since Daryl broke 'is I could give him this one." Emilie smiled, "That's a grea' idea, Beth. I'm sure he'll love it." She was being completely serious about that. _

_ Daryl had always had a soft spot for Beth, even if the young blond didn't realize it. "Really, ya thin' so?" Emilie nodded, gasping as Beth suddenly hugged her tightly. "Too tigh'.. I'd really prefer to not have an asthma attack righ' now…" Emilie said jokingly. _

_ Beth pulled away at that, giving a playful but still warning glare to her older sister. "Don' joke abou' tha', please.. you've nearly died…" Emilie instantly felt guilt hit her and sighed, "Sorry Beth.. yer right, I shouldn' joke abou' tha' kinda stuff." Beth seemed satisfied at that. _

_ "Take it." Emilie looked surprised, "I'm scared I'll lose it, but I don' thin' it's the righ' time to give it to him yet.. you're better at keepin' track of things than me, so can ya keep it until I wanna give it to 'im?" She sounded like she didn't think that Emilie would agree. _

_ The brunette nodded, "I will." Beth looked joyful, "Really?" Emilie nodded, "Of course.. anythin' for my lil sis." Beth smiled cheerfully, practically lunging at Emilie to hug the older girl tightly. "Thank ya so much, Em.. you have no idea how much this means to me." Emilie said nothing, stroking her sister's hair gently. She was glad that Beth had something to smile at, even after all she had been witness to. _

_ If she had known that this was the last time that she would see her sister purely carefree, she would have cherished it more. _

_ But she didn't, and would come to regret it deeply. _

_ •°•°•°•°•°•°• _

_ Emilie had left Beth's room eventually and travelled to her room that she shared with Daryl. She tucked the knife into her pocket, before walking into the cell. Daryl was sitting on the bottom bunk when she walked into the room, "Hey…" Daryl nodded, "Hey… How'd the talk with Beth go..?"  _

_ Emilie shrugged in response, "Pretty well.. she's broken up abou' Zach's death, which is expected." He nodded in response, before getting off of the bunk. "Your watch?" He nodded, hugging her, before walking out of their cell. _

_ She watched his back as he left before letting out a sigh. He honestly worked way too hard, in Emilie's opinion, and honestly deserves a break. Emilie changed into a tank top and shorts, before climbing up to the top bunk. The brunette relaxed, suddenly having a bad gut feeling. _

_ The girl ignored it though, another thing she would come to regret later... _

**_*Flashback Over*_ **

Emilie gasped in pain as her eyes shot open, she felt a searing pain in her abdominal area. "Levi, hold her down!" Hange yelled at the short man who complied, but still shot a glare at Hange for her loud tone. "We need to get that bullet out. Anna, you know how to do stitches?"

The strawberry blonde gave a quick yes, "After I get the bullet out, look for any tears on the inside. Stitch them up that way we can prevent any further bleeding." Emilie cried a little bit, unable to comprehend their words through the intense pain. 

Levi didn't have any trouble keeping her held down, which helped Hange in being able to get the bullet out quickly. She dropped the bullet into a small dish, "Now, Anna." The girl complied, glad that she had taken lessons on this. She found a small tear, and ignoring Emilie's pleas, she stitched it up. 

"Good, you see any more?" Anna looked closely but shook her head. She didn't find anything so now all they need to do is stitch up the outside and wrap her abdomen with bandages. Hange took over the needle work this time, stitching the wound until it was closed.

Anna looked up at Emilie, only to see the girl's eyes closed. Levi moved away, sensing that he didn't need to hold her down anymore. Hange wrapped Emilie's abdomen with bandages, while Anna went to wash her hands. "We got really lucky…" She whispered to Levi, who had followed her.

"It didn' pierce any internal organs.. but it was still too close to her abdominal organs to even consider leavin' the bullet in…" Levi nodded in response, glancing over to Hange. "How much of a chance do you think she has, four eyes?" Anna hummed in disapproval of the slightly rude nickname. 

She knew Levi didn't really mean any harm, it was simply his personality. Anna had only known him for a year, but she had already figured out how much Levi really cared for the people he worked with. "Pretty good chance.. there's still a risk of infection of course, but I think she's a fighter."

Anna sighed, "Tha' she is…" After she had washed her hands, she moved over to Emilie's side. The strawberry blonde rested her hand on Emilie's shoulder, which was now uncovered. Hange glanced over, staring at Emilie's left shoulder in bewilderment. She clearly hadn't noticed it before.

Unfortunately, Emilie's shirt and Daryl's jacket, as well as her tank top were soaked through with blood. That left her in just her sports bra, but Anna knew that Emilie didn't really care about modesty at this point. "Is that.. a bite mark?" Levi questioned, as he had noticed it as well.

Anna honestly couldn't explain it, she had given them a false story in order to make it more believable. She couldn't tell them the truth now, Hange might forgive her but she knew that Levi wasn't so forgiving. She finally nodded, "Yeah, wha' abou' it..?" She tried to play it off, but she already knew that Levi would see through her.

She could only hope that he would give up, but that was unlikely. "I can see that you don't want to talk about it, brat. I'll let you off, just for now. You will tell me later, exactly what that is." Levi's steely eyes honestly made Anna want to go hide in a ditch. She really didn't want to tell him, but it seemed that it was a false choice.

The girl gulped before nodded and turning back towards Emilie. Levi also seemed to be annoyed with Emilie's lack of shirt, and pulled his cloak off and set it on top of her upper half. Anna gave him a surprised look, "Tch, even if she's unconscious.. she still has a right to her modesty."

Levi spoke, sounding as unemotional as ever. Hange then attempted to grab his attention, "Hey, shorty?" He glared at her, "What..?" He now sounded annoyed. "Get Erwin please, that way he can see for himself." Levi nodded about to exit the room, when Anna called out Levi, "An' get Daryl if ya can.. he'll be dyin' to see her."

He nodded in response before walking out of the room. Anna glanced over at Hange, "I hope she'll be alrigh'..." She looked down at Emilie's face, which looked somewhat peaceful now. Hange reassured her, "I'm sure she'll be fine Ann." Anna nodded, but froze at the nickname.

Hange noticed this, "What did I do?" Anna shrugged, "Nothin'... It's just.. that's wha' Emilie calls me most of the time…" Hange nodded in understanding, "The two of you seem very close." The strawberry blond nodded, "We are.. known each other since secon' grade. We've been mostly inseparable since then…"

Anna sighed as the memories of Emilie and her ran through her mind. She closely examined Emilie's face before noticing something that she hadn't noticed before. There was a scar on the left side of Emilie's face, it was jagged.. so that gave her the impression that it was done with a dull knife, maybe even on purpose.

It marred her sun-kissed youthful face, which was saddening. Anna wanted to strangle whoever had done this to Emilie but couldn't.. at least not until she knew the culprit. She was seething quietly with anger, unable to stop herself from looking at the scar.

At that moment, Levi walked back in with both Erwin and Daryl in tow. "What's the situation, Hange?" The woman saluted him, "Completed successful extraction of bullet, stitched up a tear inside, then wrapped her up. Her shirt and jacket were soaked in blood, as well as the tank top." Erwin nodded, "At ease, Hange."

Daryl inspected Emilie, before spotting the green cloak covering the upper half of her body. He was surprised but walked over, glancing at her face. Anna looked up at him, "Both of ya have some explainin' to do…" She muttered quietly, giving a subtle glance towards the scar on Emilie's face.

He gave a sigh, simply brushing a finger against the jagged scar. He wasn't willing to tell Anna, not yet at least. She would be even more furious once she knew the truth, but he couldn't tell her now. Erwin looked at Hange, "Do you think she'll be fit for trial?" 

The woman immediately shook her head, "Nope. She'll be in bed for a while, too long for her to go to the trial tomorrow." The commander nodded, "Guess Mr. Dixon will be the only one then?" She nodded, "Yes. Hopefully they are allowed to stay with the scouts."

"We all wish that, Hange." 

Hange nodded before mentioning something else, "I also noticed previous scars on her abdomen.. they look to be from a knife." The commander looked confused, "A knife.. you're sure, Hange?" She nodded in response. Erwin shook his head, "Do they look to be self-inflicted?" 

Right as Hange was about to answer, Anna spoke up, "No.. no they're not…" Her eyes looked haunted for a moment, her face paling a few shades. Hange sighed, "Commander, I think it's best if we leave it alone.. I shouldn't have even brought it up."

Daryl was the one to scoff, "You're righ'. You shouldn' have." He stared, his glare nearly rivalling Levi's. Hange was unfazed by it, used to the glaring because of Levi. "Sorry.. I really didn't mean any harm by it." Daryl scoffed in response, almost like he had been insulted by her words.

The redneck didn't seem to act this serious until Hange brought it up. By the look in Daryl's eyes, it was definitely a soft spot. He sat there for a moment, watching as Erwin told Levi and Anna to get out of the room. He could tell that Levi was needing to talk to Anna and also knew that they weren't willing to talk in front of the rest of them.

"What'd she tell ya?" Daryl asked Erwin, wanting to honestly know. Anna couldn't have told them the truth, they likely wouldn't have even believed her anyway. Hange was the one to respond, surprisingly, "That she was from outside the walls.. in a village that was destroyed by titans."

Daryl sighed, "Judgin' by yer tone.. I'm gonna guess tha' you don't believe it." The commander nodded in response,"I didn't." Erwin looked at Daryl,"Yet you still let her in.. despite knowing she was actively lying to you… Why?" The man shrugged in response. "I could also tell that she was genuine.. she wasn't lying to deceive me. Anna was lying, because she thought no one would believe her anyway."

The redneck raised an eyebrow in response, "I'm surprised ya figured tha' ou'... No wonder you're the commander." Erwin nodded but didn't didn't say anything in response. He seemed to be thinking, his eyes looking in between Emilie and Daryl for moment.

"Wha' are ya deductin' now..?" Daryl questioned, catching the look on Erwin's face as the man looked between Emilie and him. The blond man shrugged in response, "Nothing. Just thinking." Daryl didn't believe the man, but chose not to comment on it. The redneck honestly didn't care what Erwin thought, it wasn't right for the commander to input his opinion on them.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"Ain' none of yer business anyway…"

Anna and Levi walked down the hallway together in silence. Eventually, Levi spoke up, "So.. you willing to tell me now, brat? Or do I have to threaten you?" She shrugged in response, before wincing as Levi grabbed her arm and dragged her into the nearest room.

"Jeesh, Levi.. you're gonna break my fuckin' arm..!" He didn't say anything in response, simply giving her an impatient look. "Tell me, now." She sighed, deciding that her best option might be to tell him. She didn't really have a choice at this point, "Okay.. but you have to promise to not tell anyone. Not even Erwin."

Levi looked up at her, the height difference becoming more obvious. She was an impressive 5'9, pretty tall, especially for a woman. "Is it that important?" At Anna's pleading look, he reluctantly sighed, "Fine.. but you have to tell me everything."

She internally gulped at that but sucked it up for the moment, "Fine.. but it's a very long story." Levi glanced around the room, glancing out the window. "We've got time." Anna sighed, before starting the story. She was dreading some of it, most of it actually. She couldn't believe she was about to tell Levi of all people this.

She just hoped he wouldn't call her crazy.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

The 104th training corps stood together in lines, each person staring ahead. Some of them wouldn't even last more than a day and would probably drop out because they simply couldn't handle it. Those people made their choice, preferring it over fighting.

A young blonde stood next to a teal eyed boy, both staring ahead. She had a small scar near her temple, and her big blue eyes were hardened. She had clearly seen some shit, and had to endure through the memories every day that she chose to keep on living.

After engaging, albeit kind of meanly, a few more of the cadets, he came upon her. He was much taller than her, but she had met plenty of people, men in particular, who were taller than her. Height meant nothing and honestly she could just as easily fight someone taller than her.

"Hey, maggot! Who the hell are you?!" The girl barely flinched, before saluting him, the right way. "Beth Greene from Trost District, Sir!" She wasn't really from Trost, but it was where she had awoken.. so it was the best place to say if anything.

"Beth, huh? You sound excellent for Titan bait! Why are you here, Greene?!" Her eyes lit up a bit, "To kill Titans an' reunite with my family, Sir!" He raised a brow at that, before moving to the teal eyed boy next to her. He asked the guy the same question.

"Eren Yeager from Shiganshina District, Sir!" The boy immediately received stares directly at his back. Beth had heard about the breach of Wall Maria by listening in on people's conversations. She felt immediate sympathy for the boy but didn't show it.

"Why are you here, Yeager?" The boy smiled in response, his eyes flashing, "To join the Survey Corps and exterminate all of the Titans." He sounded really serious, if too serious, about it. He was clearly dead set on this, and Beth doubted that anything would change his mind.

She drowned out the Commander, simply not caring anymore. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, something that allowed her to keep her hair out of her face. A bit of sympathy hit her when Keith Shadis lifted a boy up by his head. From what she could gather, he had saluted incorrectly, which the commander really didn't like.

Suddenly, a crunch was heard and silence fell throughout all of the cadets. All eyes fell onto a brunette that was chomping on a potato. Beth was surprised that this girl honestly had the nerve to be eating a potato in front of the commander, when they were clearly not supposed to be eating.

"Hey you." The girl looked around but continued munching on the potato. "What do you think you're doing? I'm talking to you! Who the hell are you?!" The girl finally seemed to realize that he was talking to her and saluted, while still holding the potato.

"Sash Blouse from Dauper Village, on the south side of Wall Rose!"

"Sasha Blouse, what is that you're holding in your right hand?"

"A steamed potato, Sir! I found one in the cookhouse that was ready to eat, so I couldn't help myself!" Beth facepalmed mentally at that.

"You stole it? Why? Why did you decide to eat it now?"

"I felt it would be a waste to let it get cold, so I elected to eat it now." Beth sighed quietly, making Eren glance at her. He didn't say anything, but simply nodded. She looked away, letting her eyes fall back onto the scene.

"No, I don't understand. Why did you eat the potato?"

"Are you asking me why people eat potatoes, Sir?" Sasha broke off the unequal smaller half of the potato and handed it to the commander. "Here's half of it for you." She smiled, seeming to think that she had gotten herself out of trouble.

"Half?"

Beth let out a sigh, already knowing how this was going to end as the commander stared down at the potato. She was hungry too, but she wouldn't risk being potentially kicked out for stealing. This world wasn't like her old one.

It was still hell.. just a different kind of hell.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

**That's it for chapter two. Hope you enjoyed it. This chapter was done very quickly, as I wanted to get the 2nd chapter up quickly. I hope it's good.**

**By the way, what walking dead characters do you wanna see in this? I'll consider any suggestions, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll add them.**

**I wanted to write in more flashbacks but decided against it, because I didn't want to bore you with it. Would you prefer longer chapters, including flashbacks, or shorter chapters without them? Or do you want an in between?**

**Sincerely, Talleybear.**


	3. The Trial Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a revealing flashback about Emilie and Anna.
> 
> We finally get to the trial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a mention of attempted suicide in this chapter, so be warned.

**Chapter Three; The Trial Part 1:**

**_*Flashback*_ **

_ "This is where your parents were stayin' for their vacation?" Emilie questioned, as she spotted a small cabin in a small clearing that was surrounded by trees. The strawberry blonde nodded in response, "Yeah.. if this wouldn' have happened, they would've been home by now." _

_ It had only been a week since the apocalypse had begun and destruction was nearly everywhere. The walkers weren't honestly a threat, as long as you kept your cool and didn't get trapped or get overwhelmed by a large amount of them. _

_ People though, were unprepared for this. They were overwhelmed, and the virus spread like wildfire. Emilie hadn't managed to get to her family's farm safely, as Anna and she were trying to find the safest route. So far, though, they hadn't had any luck. _

_ Instead, they decided that the best option was to find Anna's parents, then attempt to get to the Greene farm. Emilie looked through a window, her eyes widening as she saw blood staining the wooden floor. She glanced over at Anna, who hadn't seen it. _

_ "Anna.. I'll go check the inside of the cabin ou', and ya check the cellar out back. They might've gone down there." Anna nodded in response, not questioning Emilie's judgement. The brunette sighed, before walking over to the front door of the cabin. The door was already open, which worried her. _

_ The strawberry blonde did as Emilie requested, having a gut feeling that the brunette was hiding something from her. She spotted the cellar, both doors closed. Anna was relieved as she lifted one of the doors, and the door opened easily. "Mom? Dad? Where are you?"  _

_ She called out, but received no response except for a moan. Anna dreaded that sound, but called out to her parents again. Then, she spotted a form near the stairs. She could tell the person had a feminine form, and was pretty tall. "Mom..?" Anna called out, allowing hope to fill her voice. _

_ Something was wrong, as the figure didn't make any response besides moaning as they stumbled up the stairs. When the figure got close to the top of the stairs, Anna barely refrained from gasping. It was definitely her mother, her dark brown hair tangled and ragged.  _

_ Her entire appearance was horrid, her skin sickly pale and her eyes had changed from their normal chocolate brown to an icky yellow. Hazel Stanley's neck and shirt were stained with her blood, and a large chunk was taken out of her neck. Anna was frozen in shock, not comprehending the situation. _

_ It couldn't be her mother.. could it..?  _

_ While Anna was in her stunned like state, the walker took the opportunity to lunge at her. This snapped Anna out of it, "M-Mom! Mom, s-stop it!" Anna fell to the ground, her undead mother falling on top of her, attempting to take a bite out of the strawberry blonde's arm. "M-Mom, please..!"  _

_ She didn't know why she was begging, as she knew that her mother was gone. Anna couldn't help it, she didn't want to believe that her mother was gone. Her mother didn't deserve this, she was a sweet woman who took great care of both Anna as well as her brother.  _

_ Anna was losing the willpower to fight her mother off, unable to grab her machete on her belt. Letting herself get bitten or even eaten alive would likely break Emilie's heart into a million pieces. Anna didn't want to die.. but she didn't have the heart to put her mother down.  _

_ Instead of Anna getting a chunk taken out of her, "Anna!" It was Emilie, holding her pistol tightly in her left hand. Before Anna could even do anything a gunshot went off, and Hazel Stanley fell limp on top of her daughter. "Mom…" Anna whispered, looking shocked. _

_ The brunette dragged Hazel's body off of Anna, before offering her hand. Anna simply stared at her mom's body, before stumbling to her mother's side. She pulled her mother's head into her lap, staring down with tears filling her eyes.  _

_ Emilie watched for a moment, feeling a hint of guilt hit her. Killing Hazel hadn't been an easy task, her finger pulling the trigger had been purely reactionary. "A-Anna.. I--" The moaning of a herd of walkers caught Emilie's attention. Clearly, there had been many of them in the forest, but Anna and she had been quiet enough to avoid them earlier. _

_ The brunette cursed herself mentally for firing off a gun when she could have used her bow.. which also would've been a lot quieter. She contemplated for a moment, her eyes racing between the direction that the walkers were starting to come from and Anna, who was still holding her mother's body. _

_ "Shit… Anna, ya stay righ' there.. I.. I'll take care of 'em." Anna looked worried at this, "W-What? No! You can't handle 'em all by y-yourself..!" Emilie shrugged in response, "Maybe not.. an' if I don't, run, run as fast as you can… Fin' my family's farm and fin' Daryl… Survive…" _

_ Anna gaped at this, shocked at her friend's borderline suicidal behavior. The brunette was powerful, that was for sure, but against a herd of walkers.. she didn't stand a chance. For once, Anna took Emilie's words about leaving into regretful consideration. _

_ She didn't want to abandon Emilie, but she knew that Emilie would never forgive her if she chose to stay and fight. The brunette didn't want Anna to ever be in danger, even though Anna was very capable of defending herself. To her surprise, there weren't as many walkers as she was expecting. _

_ Anna continued to hold her mother's body, refusing to leave it. She had faith that Emilie would be fine, although something told her in her subconscious that she wasn't thinking straight. Her mind was scrambled from the realization that she would never see her mother alive ever again. She wondered what had happened to her father, as he was nowhere to be found. _

_ A cry from Emilie caught her attention, as the woman jabbed her switchblade into the last walker's head. Anna was shocked that she had zoned out long enough for Emilie to accomplish the task of killing the mini herd of walkers. Emilie was breathing heavily as she yanked her arrows, even one that had broken, out of the walkers that she had shot. _

_ She looked exhausted, tucking the arrows into her quiver. Emilie moved over to Anna, still gripping her switchblade tightly. "Ya okay?" The brunette asked gently, inspecting Anna's tear stained face. Anna was reasonably upset, nodding hurriedly, "Y-Yeah.. wha' abou'--"  _

_ Anna cut herself off as her eyes fell onto Emilie's left shoulder. The brunette looked confused at Anna's eyes widening, "Wha'..?" Emilie asked, feeling confusion hit her. Anna was staring intently at Emilie's shoulder and then pointed shakily at the brunette's shoulder. _

_ The girl raised an eyebrow, but it was only then that the pain registered. Emilie dropped her switchblade, clenching her fist, before finally getting up the courage to look at her shoulder, her body shaking the entire time. "No.. no way…" She looked at the prominent bite mark on her shoulder, along with the blood staining her skin and part of her tank top. _

_ "Em…" Anna whispered, finally moving Hazel off of her lap and getting off of the ground. Emilie fell to her knees, looking to be shocked at the fact that she was infected. It was silent for a moment, as Anna laid a hand on Emilie's back, attempting to comfort her. _

_ Just as Anna was about to tear off a part of her jacket to tie around the wound, Emilie suddenly pulled out her pistol. Anna flinched back in surprise, gasping as Emilie shoved her onto the ground. The brunette then raised the gun to her own head making Anna gasp, "Em, no!" _

_ Emilie shook her head, a few tears slipping down her face. She didn't answer or say anything, her hand that was holding the gun shaking violently. Her eyes were wider than ever before and her finger was trembling as she inched it towards the trigger. _

_ She had to end this.. she couldn't put Anna in danger.  _

_ She placed her finger on the trigger. _

**_*Flashback Over*_ **

"That's all?" Levi stared at Anna, looking impatient. The strawberry blonde gulped, "Nah.. but it's all I can say withou' breaking down…" He regarded her coldly for a moment, "You said you would tell me everything, brat." Anna trembled, "I-I know I did.. but it honestly gets worse before it gets better…"

While Levi's face became impassive, his eyes told a different story. They showed understanding, something that Anna definitely wouldn't have expected from Levi when she had first met him. "Ya aren't gonna ask how the story really ends..?"

Levi then made the 'tch' sound, before looking at the taller girl, "Why should I? If she had ended her fucking life, she wouldn't be here. It's called common sense, brat." Anna let out a sigh, "Yeah…" She honestly should have expected no less from Levi.

"I think it's better if you ask Daryl, and even Em if you wan' to know more." Anna said, hoping that he would just let it go for now. There were some happy moments.. but they were few and far between. Anna didn't know what had happened after she had left, but she had a feeling that a lot had happened and that a majority of it was bad.

Levi surprisingly just clicked his tongue, before nodding. "I'll consider that.. if they are allowed to stay in the custody of the Survey Corps." Anna's face dropped at that. She had honestly forgotten that there was a chance that both Emilie and Daryl would be put in the custody of the military police. The Garrison was a possibility too, but Anna didn't hate them nearly as much.

Anna had no hatred for the police, hell one of the men that she respected greatly was a police officer. He had saved both Anna and Emilie's lives, and he was a very strong man as well as a great father. The Military Police, a good bunch of them, were cowards and only acted to save their own hides as well as the king's.

"I nearly forgot." Anna looked down, unable to stomach the thought of what the military police would do. Knowing them, they would probably just execute both Emilie and Daryl the second they got custody of them. The girl couldn't bare to see that happen... Anna had just gotten them back, and she refused to lose them again.

"It will be fine. Erwin will convince Zackly that your friends are best in the hands of the Survey Corps and will be of the most efficient use with us." Levi spoke with his typical calm demeanor, but she could tell that part of them was worried. Anna wondered why he was worried, when he didn't know Emilie or Daryl, but she wasn't about to ask. He didn't look like he was willing to answer, either.

"I.. I hope you're right…"

"Tch, of course I'm right.. brat."

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



***The Next Day***

"You'll need ta wear these." Daryl nodded, only tensing a little as his hands were chained behind his back. Anna squeezed his fingers comfortably, before pulling her hands away. She hoped that things would end well, hopefully just as good as how her trial had went. "Jus' stay calm, please.. for Emilie…" 

Anna whispered to him and Daryl's eyes softened at that. He nodded for a second time, trying to will himself to relax his tense muscles. Being able to visit Emilie in the morning had somewhat helped to ease his nerves, but he was still terrified at the worst possible outcomes becoming true.

They moved Daryl into the courtroom, the man keeping his face emotionless for the moment. After his wrists had been secured behind a pole in the floor, he was left in a kneeling position. It wasn't comfortable in the least, but Daryl knew to keep his mouth shut. Normally, he wouldn't have done so.. but when it came to Emilie's safety, he would do anything.

Zackly arrived in the courtroom and Daryl could tell that the man was old and looked to be tired. Although, from what Daryl could gather just by examining the man's appearance, Zackly didn't seem to be one to tolerate any drama. The redneck knew that keeping his mouth shut unless he was asked directly, was the best plan.

"We're here today to decide the fate of Daryl Dixon and Emilie Greene, two people from outside the wall." 

Daryl's eyes dotted around the courtroom until he spotted the place where the Military Police were at. They were sending Daryl death glares, looking just as ready to put a bullet in him as they were to torture him slowly.. and torture Emilie… He wouldn't let them do anything to her, for he had promised to protect her.

"We are going to decide if--" One of the guys from the military police rudely interrupted Zackly. "I see only one prisoner here! Where is the other one!" Zackly raised a brow at this, looking annoyed that the man had interrupted as well as intrigued at the man's question.

"Ah, yes… Commander Smith, where is the other prisoner?" Erwin bowed his head, "Unfortunately, Emilie is still unconscious and is unable to participate in the trial." Zackly nodded, before turning his eyes to the officer that had interrupted him. "There's your answer." The calmness yet somehow eagerness that Zackly displayed was a bit disturbing.

The man gulped in response and Zackly returned to what he was saying before he had been interrupted, "As I was saying… We are going to decide if Emilie Greene and Daryl Dixon should continue to be in the custody of the Survey Corps, or be given to either the Garrison or Military Police."

Zackly then looked at Nile Dawk and the officer who had rudely interrupted him, " Commander Dawk, what's your proposition?" Nile Dawk looked down at the papers he was holding. "We propose that the two prisoners be executed immediately! They are from outside the walls, and as such are definitely enemies!"

Anna flinched next to Levi, "Is that all?" Zackly questioned and Nile nodded, a look of anger in his eyes. The Premier then looked towards Dot Pyxis, Commander of the Garrison Regiment. "Commander Pyxis, what is the Garrison's proposal?" Pyxis didn't have any papers, simply taking a glance over at Erwin.

"We suggest to allow the Survey Corps to keep custody of them. The Garrison has no real purpose for them and think that the scouts would have the most use with them." He didn't make eye contact with Erwin, but it was obvious that he was favoring the Survey Corps.

Zackly raised his brows at Pyxis, "Very well." He then looked to Erwin, "Commander Smith, your request?" The blond haired man made eye contact with Zackly, "We believe it to be in the best interest of humanity that Emilie and Daryl remain within the custody of the Scouts. With their help, we can hope to make more progress.. and eventually be able to take back Wall Maria." 

Anna's eyes widened at this. Why was Erwin making this big of a claim. From what Anna remembered of her own trial, Zackly would not agree unless Erwin thoroughly convinced the Premier that Emilie and Daryl were best kept alive and with the scouts. "That's quite a big claim, Commander.. you have any proof to back it up?"

The commander somehow managed to remain calm throughout the trial, "No.. however, one of my loyal scouts does." Erwin looked towards Anna, "Ms. Stanley.. if you would, please?" The strawberry blonde nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yes, Commander… I'm a personal witness to events that show the two's strength and courage."

Zackly nodded, motioning for Anna to Continue, "I witnessed Daryl single handedly pull an arrow out of his side after it had pierced him in order to prevent someone from hurting me, then he managed to fire the arrow even through his pain…" Anna refrained from bringing up that Daryl had been protecting her from a walker rather than a person. "An' I was witness to Emilie takin' on a full crowd of people who were attemptin' to kidnap us.. she killed all of 'em."

The Captain next to her had his eyes fill with recognition with the second story. The walkers were changed to people in order to cover up what it really was, but the overall story was similar. "I see.. Private Anna, do you realize what this says about your friends?" The strawberry blonde nodded, "Hmm.. and are you willing to stake your life on the fact that they are good people..?"

Anna nodded without hesitation, "Gladly, Sir." Zackly looked satisfied at that but the voice of Pastor Nick interrupted, "This is blasphemy! This woman is defending murderers as well as godless sinners! They should be--" Zackly held his hand up, interrupting the rude pastor, "That's enough, Pastor Nick. Sit back down." 

The Pastor finally sat down at a firm glare from Zackly, "Normally, I wouldn't take a witness testimony as set in stone; however, this young woman has shown severe dedication, and clear care for both prisoners. I also believe it unethical to kill these two prisoners, when they have done nothing that says they are the enemies."

Dawk looked furious at this, already knowing full well what was coming. Zackly surprisingly didn't say his verdict right away, instead opting to look directly at Daryl. "Mr. Dixon, even though I have the final say in this.. I would like you to choose which regiment you and your friend would like to go to." The redneck raised a brow at this, "If ya get the final say.. why does my word mean anythin'..?"

The older man simply shook his head, "Just choose." Daryl sighed at the lack of answers he was receiving, before simply nodding in acceptance. He honestly didn't even consider the Military Police, he was slightly more open to the Garrison though. However, he knew his choice would be with…

"I want to join the Scout Regiment."

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



**Sorry that it's a bit shorter than normal. I'll try to upload the second part either tomorrow or the next day.**

**Also, does anyone have any suggestions for me regarding other TWD characters? Besides Rosita since she's already being considered.**

**Sincerely, Talleybear.**


	4. The Trial Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial goes pretty well and ends.
> 
> Emilie wakes up.. and fights with Anna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for cussing.

**Chapter Four; The Trial Part 2:**

**_*Flashback*_ **

**_(This flashback will be relevant for a couple of things in the next chapter.)_ **

_ A gunshot went off, the bullet grazing the girl's head near the blonde's temple. That's not what it looked like to all the people behind her though, it looked like she had been killed by the blow. She fell to the floor and had stopped moving, blood staining the floor. In reality, the shot had simply knocked the blonde haired girl unconscious. _

_ Daryl pulled out his pistol, clicking off the safety, before killing the woman who had shot Beth. Everyone on his side raised their guns, and everyone on the other side did the same. "Wait, hold your fire!" The woman at the front yelled, causing everyone to freeze while still all looking full on ready to fire. _

_ The woman looked at Daryl and his side, "It's over.. it was just about her. Stand down." Slowly, everyone on the woman's side lowered their guns. A little girl was staring from behind the woman, her eyes wide in shock. She looked up at Daryl, watching as he whimpered on the verge of tears as he stared down at what he believed to be Beth's dead body. _

_ The man in front of Daryl's side lowered his gun, his eyes watering. He turned, looking at Beth's limp form, "You can stay." One of the women said, and Rick looked towards them. "We're surviving here.. it's better than out there." One of the men said, but Rick shook his head. "No…" _

_ He seemed to be thinking, "And, I'm takin' anyone back there who wants to leave." He motioned for them to come forward, "If you wanna come with us.. step forward now." No one did, except for a lone red haired girl that had been hiding behind the woman who was now in front. _

_ The woman in front immediately objected, "But Scarlett, it's safe here… Why do you wanna leave..?" She looked up at the woman, "I want to find my father.. if I go with 'em, maybe I can find him." The woman still looked shocked but eventually nodded. The officer looked towards Rick, "What do you think..? Will you take her with you?" _

_ Rick looked at the little girl, noticing just how young the girl was. She couldn't be more than eight, yet her speech told otherwise, "That's fine.. c'mon, Scarlett." The girl walked towards them, refusing to let her eyes fall onto Beth. She wouldn't be able to handle it if she did. After that, they all left the hospital.. not knowing that Abraham had returned with their people, including Emilie and Maggie. _

_ The redneck had picked up Beth's limp body, carrying it out of the hospital. He refused to leave her there.. she deserved way better than this. He refused to meet Emilie's heartbroken gaze as he basically stumbled towards them. Both girls were upset, but Beth was their sister.. he knew how it felt, when Merle died… _

_ "W-What h-happened..?" Emilie asked through her tears, wiping at her face. He didn't have the courage to lie to her, "Tha' bitch in there shot 'er.. she.. she killed 'er…" Maggie just sobbed in response, while Emilie stared at her sister's body. Something was a bit off, but she didn't understand what it was. _

_ "Guys?" Abraham suddenly said, and they looked at him in confusion. He pointed towards the direction that they had come from. Everyone's heart dropped as they looked where he was pointing, spotting the herd of walkers. However, moaning came from many directions. "Dammit.. we have to leave her." Rick suddenly said, shocking both Emilie and Maggie. _

_ "Wha'.?!" Emilie yelled at Rick, which was an even bigger shock. The short girl normally respected Rick and listened to his orders without hesitation. Now though, it was clear she was angry at him for even suggesting leaving Beth behind. "He's right, Emilie.. she's just dead weight now." Abraham said, making the girl glared at the former officer as well as him in response, tears still streaming down her face. _

_ "Em.. be reasonable, she'll just slow us down…" Glenn told her, but that just made her sob loudly. Rick knew that they needed to get out of there, but knew that neither of the Greene sister's would be willing to leave the youngest sister behind. So, he decided to come up with a compromise.  _

_ "Listen.. I know ya don't wanna leave her behind but we've got a shit ton of walkers coming this direction… Let's leave her in a car, that way.. the walkers won't find her." Emilie stared up at him, still looking to be in refusal before Maggie spoke, "O-Okay…" Emilie looked at her sister in shock, before looking up at Beth. _

_ It was only then that she spotted the little girl hanging on to Noah but shook off the thought. Emilie nodded, tears staining her face. Daryl honestly looked reluctant to do so but finally relented, placing her in the backseat of a car that was in decent condition. He was shaking as he did so, but he shut the door and ran with the others away from the herd. _

_ All the while, they had no idea that Beth was still alive.. unconscious, but alive. _

**_*Flashback Over*_ **

"Alright then." Zackly said nodding his head in agreement. "I've made my decision… Commander Smith, you are to retain custody of both prisoners and train them to become reliable soldiers.. then you will do as you claimed." Anna gulped in nervousness at that.. she had faith in both Emilie and Daryl, but she was worried.

"They'll be fine." Levi told her quietly, a hidden glint in his eyes. The strawberry blonde wondered what that could possibly mean but refrained from questioning it. "Thank you, Sir.. we will do it." Zackly nodded but looked like he expected an objection to come. There was none to his surprise, at least not a direct objection.

"Premier, can we request something?" Dawk asked, looking down at his papers again. "You may." Anna closed her eyes at that, worry filling her. She remembered Nile from her trial and he had been nothing but a jerk. He hadn't attempted to make a proposal then so it worried her that he was trying to make one now.

"We propose that I'd the Survey Corps fails to obtain this objective within a three year time limit.. that they be handed over to the Military Police. And that we also should get permission to do checks to make sure that the two are being trained properly." Zackly seemed to think for a moment. Anna hoped he would reject it but to her surprise, "I accept this… Commander Smith, you will abide by this."

Daryl cursed himself mentally, for he knew that this had been going too well. The Commander didn't bother to protest, knowing full well that Zackly had already made up his mind. "Yes, Premier." Anna sighed, looking deflated. It had still gone relatively well, considering that Emilie and Daryl could've been handed over to the Military Police sooner rather than later.

She glanced around the courtroom as Zackly ended the trial.. Anna didn't have too much faith that they would be able to do it within the time limit…

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



***Same time with Emilie.***

Emilie's eyes flashed open as she awoke from a nightmare.. a nightmare that had formed itself from one of her worst memories. "How on the walls are you awake?" Startled, Emilie looked over spotting a woman standing next to what she was lying on. "Huh..?" She vaguely remembered this woman but her memory was foggy.

"I estimated that you would be unconscious for a few more days, at least… How do you feel?" Emilie shrugged in response but winced. Her abdomen felt like it was burning.. she knew what it was. She had been shot before, so she knew the feeling of a gunshot wound. "F-Fine.. this isn't the f-first time tha' I've been shot…"

The woman sighed, noticing that Emilie was practically gritting her teeth at every word. The woman was still clearly in pain but was somehow managing to keep herself awake through it. "I see." Emilie looked at the woman, unable to remember what had happened. All she remembered was that she was with Daryl and saw Anna.. beyond that, there was nothing.

"What do you remember?" Emilie tried to recall anything else but was unsuccessful. "I-I remember D-Daryl and Anna.. I don' remember gettin' shot…" The woman sighed, knowing that she would need to inform Erwin of this later. "Alright… Can you answer my question now? The one about how you're awake."

Emilie thought for a moment before the realization hit. "O-Oh, tha'... I guess they didn' tell ya…" The woman looked confused, "Tell us what?" Emilie resisted the urge to laugh, "Tha' I'm an i-insomniac.. I-I can't sleep unless Ann or Daryl are with me… It's the only w-way that I can sleep without n-nightmares…" Emilie explained.

The woman nodded, deciding not to pry about it just yet. "My name is Hange Zoe. I was told to stay with you until the trial is over." Hange finished but realized her mistake as Emilie's eyes widened. "T-Trial..! Wha' trial.?!" Emilie looked visibly startled, and Hange attempted to calm her down.

"The trial of what to do with you and Daryl.. it's fine though, you two are in the great hands of the commander. It'll be fine." She reassured but this did little to ease Emilie's fears. Emilie had no idea who he was nor why she should trust in a man she had never met. "I don' kn-know who tha' is..!" She exclaimed, her eyes looking back in forth rapidly.

Even though she had been smart in not trying to get up before, that had clearly gone out the window as she attempted to get up. Hange immediately stopped her, "Stop. You're going to injure herself if you keep this up." She held Emilie down by her shoulders, "It is going to be fine.. if you keep acting like this you're just going to worry your friends… You wouldn't want that.. would you?"

Emilie shook her head and had stopped her attempts to get up, but it was clear that she was far from calm. She was very worried, not for herself, but for Daryl. Despite his temper, Daryl was a great as well as powerful man. His skills were taught by Merle, who had returned after their father had been arrested.

Neither of them said anything else for a while. Hange was just writing down notes in a notebook, "Just out of curiosity.. why do you have a bite mark on your shoulder?" Emilie froze as Hange broke the silence with a question. "I.. I-I honestly don' wanna talk abou' it…"

Hange tried to decide if she should pry but decided to wait until Emilie was in a better state. A few more minutes went by, before Emilie suddenly realized that something warm was lying on top of her upper half. She glanced down, spotting a green cloak, that looked to have a symbol of wings: one light and one dark on it.

She instantly felt confusion hit her, for she had never seen this cloak before. It smelled like Tea, only vaguely though, like someone had washed it so much that most of the scent was gone. Emilie didn't consider herself to be a clean freak, she had; after all, lived on a farm for most of her life.

Emilie did clean of course, but she never felt the need to wash something as intensely as the person who had washed the cloak had. "What is th-this..?" The short girl asked Hange, motioning towards the cloak. "Oh. That's a Survey Corps cape that is also a cloak." Emilie narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"Survey Corps.. wh-what's that?" At that moment the door opened and Commander Erwin walked in with Anna and Levi at his sides and Daryl behind him. The redneck, unsurprisingly, immediately went to Emilie's side, his eyes widening as he realized that Emilie was awake.

"The Survey Corps is one of the three Military Regiments that one can choose from.. of course, the MPs are only for those who make it to the top ten." Erwin explained a bit, looking at Emilie. "The Scouts are where you and Daryl are going Ms--" Emilie interrupted him, "Jus' call me Emilie, pl-please."

The commander nodded, not seeming too upset at the fact that she had interrupted him, "Of course.. Emilie, the Survey Corps is where you and Daryl will be going." Emilie nodded, but it was clear that she was annoyed with the vagueness of the words. "You alrigh'?" Daryl asked quietly, looking down at Emilie as he could see how much pain she was really in.

"Y-Yeah…" She was lying through her teeth and if you didn't know her or if you're not very perceptive, you would never know. Daryl gave her a look, silently scolding her for the lie. Emilie simply looked away, "Why is she awake?" Anna suddenly asked, inspecting the bags under Emilie's eyes.

The girl was clearly exhausted, and she somehow managed to push through it. Anna knew about Emilie's nightmares of course, but she had hoped that Emilie would sleep peacefully due to her injury. Clearly, Anna was very wrong. "She mentioned that she has Insomnia due to nightmares.. she said that you two knew about it..?"

Levi froze a little making Anna glance over at him. She had noticed how little he actually slept and if she didn't know any better she would say that he had Insomnia.. perhaps even because of nightmares, just like Emilie. Anna refrained from mentioning it, "We did.. I thought tha' it would be different because of her injury, but I guess I was wrong…"

Emilie glanced up at Daryl, "Wh-whose is this..? Who g-gave me this..?" She asked quietly, though clearly not quiet enough as Levi had heard her question, "It would be mine, brat. I gave you it so you could at least retain some modesty." While Emilie would've appreciated the gesture normally, the fact that she had no idea who this man was.. dampened her appreciation.

"Pl-please.. I've been half naked in front of men before simply because being on your own was a death sentence where I'm from. I don' think tha' I have any modesty left at this point." It was true. While they had tried to respect each other's privacy, sometimes it was just too much of a risk. Levi glared at her in response but Emilie barely flinched, "I appreciate it.. but you shouldn' do tha' for someone you don' even know…"

Emilie was well aware of how unwise it was to trust strangers. Sometimes even the people that you think that you can trust, are actually the ones who are most likely to betray you. There was this guy once.. he was Emilie's first kiss as well as her prom date. He was a bit strange, and Emilie had become quite close to him.

Once the apocalypse had hit though, once she found him.. he showed his true colors. His name was Randall.. a loner, and as of the only sport he played, he was benched. He wasn't the one who shattered her trust in him.. it was her. She cut ties the second she realized what kind of guy that he really was. 

"Tch, I didn't do it for you. I did it so I didn't have to look at your filthy skin." Levi deadpanned, honestly a little surprised when Emilie didn't even flinch. He didn't show it outwardly, but inwardly he honestly felt shock that she had barely reacted.

"Sorry.. I didn' exactly have runnin' water where I was at." While there had been running water at Alexandria, Emilie and Daryl, after they had escaped Negan's clutches, had wandered the wilderness for a while. "It was too risky to wash in any creeks.. so yeah, my skin's dirty." Emilie wasn't going to comment on the fact that he had basically admitted to looking at her skin.

Levi didn't say anything else, simply looking annoyed now. He wasn't in the mood for defiant brats, especially for stuck up ones. She was a little too sassy to seem like she could be a great listener. He wasn't going to get his cloak back just yet, as he refused to look at the dirt on her skin.

"Hey, Dare..?" The redneck looked down at her, "Do you thin' Maggie and Scar are alrigh'..?" Daryl shrugged in response, "I hope they are.. but I doub' tha' we'll see them again..." Anna was listening to their conversation and raised an eyebrow at them. "Who's Scar?" Emilie sighed, "Scarlett.. she's the daughter of a monster…"

Emilie refused to say anything more and as such, Daryl did too. The strawberry blonde sighed in response, wondering why Emilie had described the girl as the daughter of a monster. "So, Em.. wha' happened to Beth..?" Anna asked quietly, surprised. "I don' wanna talk abou' it…" Anna insisted, "But I wanna know somethin'.. please..?" 

The brunette threw a glare in her friend's direction, "Ann.. I said tha' I don' wanna talk abou' it." There was a clear warning in Emilie's tone. But Anna, bless her, never knew when to stop. She did stop about the Beth thing.. but then proceeded to ask something that definitely hit a nerve.

"Fine… Where'd you get tha' scar on your face then?" Emilie snapped then, clearly angry. "I told you to fuckin' cut it out Anna! I don' wanna talk nor do I wan' to be pitied! So, for the love of God just fuck off and leave me the fuck alone..!" Anna stared bewilderment and shock of her best friend's behavior.

Emilie had never lashed out like this before.. clearly something awful had happened to her. Anna was on the verge of tears, unable to understand why Emilie had yelled. Emilie had never yelled at Anna before so this was definitely a shock for both Anna and Daryl as well as surprise for everyone else except for Levi.

The brunette closed her eyes, seemingly attempting to calm herself down. She wasn't ready to talk about that.. only Daryl and Negan, as well as his men, knew the truth about what had happened. It had broken Emilie down.. she was fine as long as she ignored it, but it was difficult when people kept asking about it.

Emilie didn't want pity.. she just wanted people to leave her alone. Daryl seemed to be the only one who knew when to back off, which was surprising. The redneck was very hot tempered, so it was shocking that he knew how and when to not push someone's buttons.

Daryl was the only one who truly understood her.. or maybe he wasn't.

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



The man glanced up at his superior, awaiting his orders. The superior, who had their hands crossed behind their back, spoke forcefully. "Have your scouts spotted them, yet?" The man nodded, "They are in the hands of the Survey Corps.. the stupid idiots actually think they have a chance of taking back Wall Maria."

His superior glared at the man, "I did not ask for personal feelings, Lieutenant.. but that is fine. Now; however, I have another task for you." The man respectfully bowed his head in response. "You have already retrieved both of our subjects.. however, we may need another incentive for them to cooperate when the time comes…"

The man nodded again, "Sir..?" His superior then spoke again, "You will retrieve the one they call Scarlett.. she is of great importance to both subjects. She shall be excellent bait.. her mother figure will not be able to resist caring for her and even saving her." The man nodded, before bowing, "Anything else, Sir?" 

His Superior shook his head, simply motioning for the man to leave, his hand getting covered with sunlight from the window. His hand was an ashy gray, as was the rest of his body. His eyes, when they were in the light were yellow, and sunken in. He almost looked.. dead.

"Kendrel.. be back as soon as you can." The man nodded, before pulling his hood over his head. He walked towards his destination, his eyes glowing bright red the entire time. He was going to find Scarlett.. he would bring her without hesitation. 

He refused to fail another mission.. ever again.

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



**And that's the end of chapter Four.**

**I decided not to do flashbacks for the next couple chapters, long ones at least. Also, who wants to see Maggie in this? Any other characters?**

**Sincerely, Talleybear.**


	5. Family isn't just Blood Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarlett nearly gets kidnapped.
> 
> Emilie feels guilt for snapping at Anna.
> 
> Beth is not in mood for casual conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Swear warning. A little bit of violence too.*
> 
> I tried to make this chapter longer than the others.

***Sorry if any of the characters were off in the last chapter and sorry if the last chapter sucked. I hope you enjoy. Also, this will be the last two part chapter for a while. What do you think about Scarlett and the mystery bad guy after you've read the chapter?***

**Chapter Five; Family isn't just Blood Part 1:**

A small adult squirrel crawled around the bottom of a tree, scrounging around for food. It squeaked happily as it found an acorn, picking it up in its little hands. The small animal stood on the leaves that had shed themselves from the large tree that the squirrel had came from. 

The forest was filled with silence, something that was typically a bad sign. This squirrel, while an adult, was very naive like most animals who had never come across predators. It didn't seem to detect the danger.. nor did it detect the small figure watching it.

A young girl had her gaze on the squirrel, having her bow held up and pointed in the same direction. An arrow was nocked, and it had a mark on its shaft that indicated who it belonged to. The initials were,  _ E.G.,  _ and it had been clearly, carefully carved into the shaft of all of the arrows.

Her bright red wavy hair was tied into a bun, the neatness indicating that she likely didn't do it herself, due to her young age. The girl took a deep breath before firing, wincing as the arrow sunk into the squirrel's body. She held back tears, knowing better than to cry in prime walker territory.

She could hear them when they approached of course but sobbing, especially when she did it loudly it would attract walkers like a flame attracts moths. Blood stained the leaves below where the squirrel rested. The redhead stepped quietly towards the small animal's body.

Scarlett pulled the arrow out of the squirrel's body, before tying the squirrel to her waist. She was glad that Daryl had taught her how to properly skin and cook a squirrel. Scarlett was honestly surprised that he had, as she was so young.. and many people would frown at a kid being able to do that at such a young age and a young lady at that.

"Not much.. but it'll do…" 

She cleaned the arrow with a cloth from her back pocket before placing it back into the quiver. Scarlett was very grateful that Emilie, who had essentially become a surrogate mom to her, had given her the bow and arrows. Worry was still there though.. but she tried to just survive for the moment.

The crunching of leaves from the forest startled her as she was in the process of pulling the bow over her shoulder. It was much too big for her, but Emilie had promised to make the girl her very own bow, just a smaller one. She pulled out the hunting knife that had found on a Hunter's corpse a few hours prior.

Just like she was expecting, a walker stumbled out from behind a tree. It was a man, a couple inches taller than Daryl, wearing a blood stained flannel along with torn blue jeans. He looked like the typical southern man that had dressed up for Halloween as a blood stained axe murderer. His skin was the typical ashy gray, and it was clear by the state of decay that he had been turned for at least a couple months.

Her hazel eyes stared timidly at the walker. She had learned techniques on how to take down bigger walkers, courtesy of Emilie. It never got any easier though, especially when most of the walkers were twice her size. Most of them had clearly been badly torn up, likely from when they were basically devoured or even shot.

She waited for it to stumble towards her, before kicking her leg at his knees. Luckily, due to walkers already struggling to keep upright at times, he fell onto his back. He growled at her viciously but went silent as she stabbed the knife into his head. Barely resisting the urge to throw up, she got up still clenching the hunting knife tightly in her small hand.

Scarlett hated killing them, because to her, they were still people. She understood more now, but still struggled with killing them. Hesitation would more than likely get her killed, she knew that. Killing wasn't something she would ever get used to, but she would have to do it. Depending on others to kill for you was basically placing a burden on their shoulders and sometimes sealed their fates as well as their own.

Gripping her knife, she listened for any more signs of walkers and felt relief as she heard none. Now, she needed to find a suitable place for a camp. Hopefully somewhere, where there weren't any walkers. The forest had pros and cons to using it as a camp. The pros consisted of being able to easily know when walkers or other things were near. Cons consisted of not always being able to distinguish the sounds of a walker, animal, or even a human.

After walking for a while, her eyes fell upon a small clearing that was at the edge of the forest. She certainly wouldn't trust it enough to sleep there, but it would be fine for when she was awake. Once she had thought about what she needed, she moved back into the woods. Scarlett grabbed a bottle of spray paint that she had been given by Carl.

She sprayed a small sign onto the tree, one that pointed in the direction of the small clearing. Scarlett didn't realize that it wasn't a great idea to do that, since if people were there, they might be waiting for her when she came back. They could also just wait to ambush her later once she's settled down by the fire. She was a smart kid but sometimes she didn't think about all of the consequences.

Someone was watching her from a tree, a blue-handled machete resting in the sheath. The glowing red eyes were partially hidden due to the hood the man was wearing, one that also hid his hair. He felt interest as the young girl sprayed a sign onto a tree. The man shook his head, wondering if this was the right girl.

He had thought that she would be smarter than this, but he was clearly wrong in thinking that. Glowing eyes watched as Scarlett gathered wood to make a fire, all the while unaware of the man watching her from a tree. When she walked back to clearing, he jumped to another tree, stumbling a little. The branch shook louder than he anticipated, making the girl freeze.

Luckily for him, the leaves concealed him from her wary eyes. Scarlett stared for a moment before finally shaking her head and looking away. Maybe she was just imagining it. Or maybe it was a squirrel. She really needed to stop being so paranoid. No one was out here, at least that was what she hoped.

He watched as she pulled out a lighter and eventually started a fire. She pulled out her hunting knife before starting the process that Daryl had taught her. Despite Daryl's seriousness, she had managed to develop a bond with him. He was her mentor in a way.

If he hadn't taught her, hunting would have been very tough. He had given her pointers on how to aim along with where to aim for a more likely kill. Knowing the vital points of your target, big or small, is essential to a quick and efficient takedown. Blood stained the blade as she skinned the squirrel the way she had been taught.

She cut the parts of it that she would eat, before roasting it over the fire using a stick. The man continued to watch her, waiting for the perfect opportunity. He waited a couple minutes, his eyes examining her actions closely. When she finished cooking the squirrel, she starting eating. Scarlett sighed as she ate it, feeling better as part of her hunger was satisfied.

After doing so, she closed her eyes. Her body was more relaxed than it had been all day, and she was clearly distracted. The man noticed her daydreaming, and he took it as the perfect opportunity. He climbed down the tree skillfully, quietly before lightly stepping towards, while simultaneously avoiding anything that would alert her before he got close enough.

He wouldn't use the machete, his hope was to simply knock her out cold without her seeing his face. The man's glowing red eyes stared at the girls back, watching for any subtle movements that indicated that she had detected him. There were none, and he smirked internally, thinking that it would all go to plan.

Right as he was directly behind her, he stepped on a twig- effectively snapping it. Her eyes snapped open, hand reaching for her knife but he was quicker. The man grabbed her, not allowing her to reach her hunting knife. He underestimated her abilities though, as she had enough leverage to slip out of his grip and rip his machete off of his belt.

He couldn't react fast enough as she slashed at his arm, blood painting the blade as well as her face. The man cried out in pain, and Scarlett froze, looking startled at what she had done. She had never actually hurt another human being, as other people usually did it for her. They didn't want her to have to hurt or even kill others, believing that she was much too young to be able to handle the emotional consequences of such actions.

Luckily for her, someone else was watching from behind a tree. The figure, a woman, grabbed a rock, hitting the man directly in the head. She had decided against using her gun, since attracting walkers was the last thing she wanted to do. "Scar, get your ass in gear now!" She yelled, and the little girl's head snapped in her direction.

Scarlett's eyes widened, "Rosie!" She took the incentive to run towards the Latina woman, who led her in the opposite direction of the clearing. "How'd you get h-here?" Scarlett asked Rosita quietly, relieved but still confused at the woman's appearance. "Later. Once we're safe." Scarlett nodded reluctantly, as they ran for a little while.

They found a secluded cabin, that Rosita led the girl towards. "We won't be able to stay here long." Scarlett nodded, "So.. why are you here? Were you.. looking for us..?" She asked referring to herself, Emilie, and Daryl. The Latina woman nodded, "Yes.. where are they?" Scarlett shook her head, "I.. I have no idea… I was looking for them since last night… They went somewhere and never came back…"

Scarlett felt tears well up in her eyes and she looked down at the machete in her hand. It had a blue handle that was partially painted with blood. Initials were engraved into the handle, 'A.M.S', it made her freeze. Emilie had told her something once.. about her best friend who had disappeared about a year ago. She mentioned that the woman named Anna owned a blue handled machete, with her initials engraved on the handle.

A.M.S. = Anna Marie Stanley.

Something told her that this wasn't a mere coincidence that the very man who had grabbed her, also happened to have Anna's machete. It was too convenient, but Scarlett hoped that it was simply a coincidence. If it wasn't.. there was a lot going on, none of it good. "Scar, you alright?" The girl nodded, looking up at Rosita. "Yeah.. just thinkin'..." 

She had never gotten to meet Anna in person but from what she had been told, the woman was selfless and caring towards others. Anna also had a great bond with both Emilie and Daryl, who each viewed her as an angel. The girl was described as a strong woman who always looked for the good in others, even when the good was often barely there if at all.

Scarlett knew that if Anna had met her father, the woman would've tried to see the good in him too. Despite the fact that he had lost most of his sanity when his wife died. He had lost it, stating that it led to his only weakness. Scarlett couldn't bring herself to hate him.. despite everything he had done. 

She was the daughter of a monster alright…

Would she turn out like him..?

Or would she go on her own path..?

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



Emilie watched as Daryl followed Anna outside, feeling guilt hit her. Lashing out, especially at Anna, was something she always tried to avoid. Everything that has happened.. Beth's death, Glenn's death, and even Abraham's death. Being captured by Negan was an awful experience.. and it was the one that truly broke her.

It had all been kept hidden, she refused to talk about it. Daryl respected her decision to not talk about it, and Emilie knew that he wouldn't force her into talking. He had been a witness to it, after all. Daryl knew how much it affected her, so he didn't push it. 

Emilie sighed, eyes glancing around the room. The commander, for the most part, seemed to ignore her outburst and was instead telling Hange something. "Go get Mike for me, Hange." Is all Emilie heard, but she could tell that he said more than what she had just heard. Levi was watching her quietly though, looking like he was lost in thought.

She glanced at Hange as the woman left, wondering who Mike is. Mike was typically a man's name, but Emilie wasn't dumb enough to assume anything at this point. This world was even more insane than her own.. this was despite the fact that she didn't remember much. Assumptions could get you killed if you're not careful, Emilie knew that fact pretty well.

She wiped at her eyes, coming to the realization that she had started crying. Despite the fact that she should be resting, her Insomnia prevented her from getting the necessary rest. Meeting another new person was something that Emilie kind of dreaded. Besides being anti social when she was around people that she didn't know, being in a different place, completely different from hers now only magnified her social anxiety.

Neither Levi nor Erwin attempted to talk to her, sensing that she wasn't willing to talk at the moment. Closing her eyes, she tried to will herself to go to sleep. Her attempt was unsuccessful, and Emilie let out a sigh. Sleeping was peaceful only when either Daryl or Anna were with her. Otherwise, she couldn't sleep.. even when she did, nightmares always plagued her sleep.

She found herself thinking about Maggie, as well as Scarlett. Both of which were very important people to her, as well as her family. Maggie had always been the protector, she was the oldest after all. Scarlett had become like the child that she could never have, despite the fact that the little girl's father was still very much alive.

One thing she regretted more than anything was not spending more time with Beth.. her baby sister. Emilie wished that she could've done something.. but she wasn't even in the hospital. Instead, like an idiot, she went along with Abraham when he insisted on taking Glenn and Maggie with him to Washington D.C. Her desperate decision affecting Beth's fate wasn't something that Emilie could stomach.

The thought that Beth had possibly died because of an ill thought out decision that Emilie made.. was devastating. Guilt ripped Emilie apart mentally and emotionally. Then, after Glenn and Abraham died.. even more guilt as well as devastation flooded through her. Her nightmares had been there since she was 14 but they only worsened with each loss.

She was thankful that Anna was okay and that Daryl had remained by her side. Emilie couldn't have gotten through those times without him, his often silent presence comforting her greatly. Anna had been there for so long, and Emilie had missed the strawberry blonde dearly. ' _ We'll be friends until the very end.'  _ The last words that Anna said before she had disappeared.

Her blue handled machete had disappeared along with her. While Anna was now located, her machete was nowhere to be found. Maybe the strawberry blonde kept it somewhere else, but something gave Emilie the impression, that it wasn't the case. She could only wonder until she eventually got the guts to apologize. Hurting Anna wasn't something that she meant to do, but her emotions had been boiling for so long that she just.. snapped.

Anna was the typical social butterfly but as a result was also a very nosy person by nature. The girl didn't mean any harm by it but often her curious nature got the better of her and she often ends up pushing too far. That didn't mean that all introverts were like this but Anna was one of the ones that was. Emilie hoped that Anna would come back in so she could apologize. She wanted Anna to know that she didn't mean to yell, nor did she mean to snap.

A few minutes went by and the door opened, making Emilie looked at the doorway expecting to see Anna and Daryl. Instead, Hange came back in with a tall man at her side. In her foggy memory, she could somewhat recall a tall man that didn't speak much. It was probably the man that Hange had been told to get. The man, presumably Mike, sniffed the air when he walked in. It was a bit strange but honestly, Emilie had seen and witnessed weirder.

Erwin spoke to Mike quietly, as in not loud enough for Emilie to hear. It was probably something that she didn't need to hear. She sighed quietly, simply closing her eyes. She wasn't in the mood for talking, so she was glad that no one was attempting to talk to her. Her social anxiety was getting the better of her at this point.

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



The cafeteria was small, but the food was honestly better than nothing. Beth munched quietly in the very obviously stale bread, honestly unable to bring herself to care. She had lived in the literal apocalypse, after all. She took what she could get, as it was better than starving.. most of the time. This brought back a memory of when Rick had refused for them to eat dog food, which while not too appealing.. would've been another meal in their bellies.

Beth had chosen to half the bread before she even took a bite, on the chance that could save it for later. After eating one half of the bread, the other half untouched, potato girl, or Sasha pointed at the uneaten half. "Are you going to eat that?" The blonde considered her options for a moment, before shrugging. Sasha took it as a yes, picking the half piece of bread up and taking a bite out of it. Beth sighed internally, wishing that she had saved it for later.

She tuned out Sasha's praise of how great she was, honestly finding it a bit unsettling. Beth couldn't understand how she was great for simply sharing her food. Even though she had changed drastically from the version of her pre-apocalypse, being nice was just something she did. She wasn't a great person for it, nor did she think that she deserved praise for doing it.

"Hey, you know you didn't have to do that?" The blonde looked up only to see Eren. Beth simply shrugged in response, not really in the mood for talking. She glanced at Mikasa and Armin, who were sitting by Eren as usual. The girl envied their bond, wishing that she could have that kind of bond with someone else. Back in her world, she was of course closely bonded with her sisters and her dad, but she had also developed a close bond with Daryl. 

She wished she could bond with someone in the training corps, but she really didn't know where to start. "You're very silent today.. are you okay, Beth?" Armin asked, concern present in his eyes. Beth's eyes and overall expression softened at that. Armin had this air to him that just seemed so genuine. "I'm good. Jus'.. not in the mood for conversation righ' now…" She admitted, hiding her face with her hair. Her hair was down, as she had done so after training.

"Oh.. I see." Armin didn't look like he fully believed her, which wasn't really surprising. Despite the fact that it had only been about a day, the smartest kid in their grade was definitely him. She respected his smarts, in a way comparing him to Emilie. Emilie was adept in pretty much anything remotely academic, definitely rivalling Armin in that aspect. Emilie was great at hand to hand combat as well, and her bow, but strength: considering the fact that she couldn't even draw back the string on Daryl's crossbow, was lacking.

Beth knew Emilie wasn't weak, as the girl had obvious muscle from years of farmwork. Maybe her lack of strength, came from her tendency to get winded easily.. this likely came from her severe case of asthma, that had caused her near wheezing most of the time. They had tried to treat it, but nothing ever helped. Her older sister was powerful, if only she hadn't been born with an essentially untreatable form of asthma.

"Beth, you're spacing out again."

She snapped out of it, surprised when she realized that Mikasa was the one that had spoken. Mikasa almost never spoke to anybody except Armin and Eren, unless she was spoken to first.. and even then, she might just ignore you. Beth let out a sigh, "Jus' thinkin'..." Mikasa simply nodded, not prying which Beth felt grateful for.

"That's a strange accent." Jean, or horseface as everyone was now calling him, commented. She just let out another sigh, "Yeah, so wha'?" Jean raised an eyebrow at her, "You said you're from Trost, right? I'm from Trost and Thomas is too, yet your accent is completely different from the both of ours." Beth regarded him coldly, feeling annoyed at his words. "I'm not originally from Trost if ya really wanna know.. but I've lived there for a couple of years."

Jean looked victorious at this, "I knew it! So you're not really from Trost. You lied to the commander then." Beth shook her head, "I didn't." His eyes widened a bit, "But you--" She sharply cut him off. "I'm originally from Wall Maria, from a farm. But when the Titans invaded, we had to evacuate obviously… I was separated from my family and eventually ended up in Trost.. so I'm from there, my home is gone…" It was a lie, but Beth felt it made the most sense. 

Her separation from her family made more sense this way and even her accent made a little more sense. People from farms tended to speak in a similar way, or even people from small towns and villages spoke similarly. Either way, she had given him an explanation that shut him up, as he promptly went back to his food without a word. She ignored the looks of sympathy from the others, before moving away from the table.

She would find her family.. or die trying.

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



***Sorry for the long wait.***

***I hope I didn't butcher Rosita or anyone else's characters. What do you think? I tried to get more into the thoughts of the characters, and hope I did a decent job of it.***

***Also, if anyone's curious about ages, Emilie and Anna are both 23: and Anna is 3 months older than Emilie.***

**Sincerely, Talleybear.**


	6. Family isn't just Blood Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Read the notes for this chapter*
> 
> Scarlett and Rosita are taken to a new world.
> 
> Daryl reveals what happened to Emilie, to Anna.
> 
> Jean apologizes to Beth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning (s): Mentions of Rape. It's not that graphic, but it explicitly states it in the flashback. Skip the flashback if it bothers you.*
> 
> Also, I'm going to try to update once a week, probably on the weekend even though today is a Friday.

**Chapter Six; Family isn't just Blood Part 2:**

Fingers reached up, touching the base of their forehead. He grunted in pain, only then realizing that his forehead was painted with blood. The man had fallen down into the leaves when the Latina woman had delivered a precise strike with a rock. He managed to stumble to his feet, groaning in pain from both his arm and his forehead. "Damn…" At this moment, he definitely needed his partner with him, who specialized in healing and most things medical related.

"Limited bandages.. got no choice…" He took off his belt, deciding to use it as a makeshift tourniquet. He managed to do it successfully, slowing the flow of blood. His cloak and shirt were stained with blood, and he would need to properly stitch it up and disinfect it later but for now.. he just needed to finish his mission. He wrapped the wound after pulling up his sleeve and moving his cloak out of the way. He examined it for a moment, before sighing and looking around.

He cursed to himself quietly, realizing that he had to have been out for at least fifteen minutes. Feeling a bit dizzy, he decided that he would definitely need some help. He couldn't track them in his condition, as his vision was honestly starting to blur. Deciding that it was his best and most reliable option, he whistled sharply. It was something that would seem odd at first, but the reason for it made sense.

Pawing on the leaves approached him quickly, as well as a growling noise. The wolf like figure skid to a stop in front of the man, wagging its tail happily. Its eyes followed his movements as he ripped a piece of his cloak, wrapping it around his forehead. After he was done, he looked down at his animal companion giving it a quick pet. His eyes fell onto the small campsite, feeling a lightbulb go off as he spotted the hunting knife that had likely fallen when she had ran.

He picked it up, watching as the animal followed him tilting its head in pure curiosity. "Good girl.. sniff." The animal obeyed, sniffing the knife thoroughly before letting out a low growling sound. "Good.. Athena, track!" She growled again, sniffing the ground and bottoms of trees. The wolf seemed to have located the scent, heading off in the direction after making sure the man was following. Leaves were clearly rustled up, indicating that whoever had caused it were likely running.

The man was glad that he had chosen to bring Athena, as she was a great tracker as well as a magnificent hunter. Eventually, Athena's tracking of Scarlett's scent led the wolf to a secluded cabin. At this, "Halt…" The man whispered quietly, and Athena complied before stopping in place. The man rested his back against a tree, glancing into one of the cabin windows.

He didn't see anyone, but he had a feeling that they were simply hiding. Waiting might be his best option, but when he heard what vaguely sounded like a door opening at the back of the cabin.. he knew that waiting wouldn't be an option. Depending on where they went, Athena could possibly lose Scarlett's scent which would probably result in failure of his mission of capturing her.

He couldn't let that happen. Having already failed a mission prior to this, he wasn't about to fail another one. The man looked down at Athena who gave him an eager look, her tail wagging back and forth rapidly. "Track." Athena did as asked, picking up the scent again. Scarlett and the woman she was with didn't seem to notice them as while they were frantic, they didn't look in the man and wolf's direction.

Rosita looked down at Scarlett, hoping that they would find somewhere to successfully be able to get away from the man. He was clearly after Scarlett, though the reason why.. she had absolutely no idea. Scarlett was just a little girl but considering who her father was.. it might have something to do with him. Or it might not.. but she didn't doubt that Scarlett's father sent men to find her as well as Daryl and Emilie. 

That reminded her.. where the hell were Emilie and Daryl..? They typically didn't leave Scarlett Alone long, even when they went on their routine hunting trips. They couldn't have just disappeared.. or did they? It seemed like they had abandoned Scarlett as well as everyone.. but Rosita couldn't believe that.. no, she refused to believe it. While she hadn't really bonded with Daryl, she had done so with Emilie. The two had become companions quickly, so Rosita couldn't fathom a possibility of abandonment. 

Half the time, Daryl followed Emilie like a lost puppy and would do whatever she wanted. Emilie never abused it, never making Daryl do anything.. so if she didn't want to leave them, Daryl would've listened, although him abandoning them at all without Emilie there was unlikely. Daryl made his own decisions, although many of them catered to Emilie although many times the short girl didn't realize it.

A growling sound was heard from the woods behind them making Scarlett freeze. Rosita looked behind them, swearing she saw the vague figure of what looked to be a wolf. That seemed strange.. wolves weren't unusual in growling, but the wolf in question didn't attack when the two had their backs turned. Scarlett felt fear hit her, fully knowing that being fearful was one of the worst things that she could do.

Rosita and Scarlett had stopped in place, knowing that outrunning a wolf wasn't likely. The Latina slowly lowered her hand to her gun, knowing that shooting the wolf may be their best option. Even injuring it might be helpful, but Rosita hoped that the shot would cause enough damage to allow them to get away.

While Athena stalked the two, her owner was hiding behind a tree as he was waiting for the perfect opportunity. He clutched a sleep grenade in his hand, peeking his head out from behind the tree. The moment he saw Rosita lifting up her gun, he activated the grenade, before tossing it in their direction. Athena took it as her cue, running towards them. Due to Athena's paws smashing against the leaves as she ran, the sound of the grenade as it hit the ground behind them blended in.

Sleeping gas flooded out of the grenade, and Scarlett started coughing as she inhaled some. Rosita managed to get out of the cloud of gas; however, Scarlett had inhaled too much of the gas. Rosita tried to help the girl get away from the gas but felt herself being tackled to the ground. A growling sound was emitted from whatever was lying on top of her. It was Athena, not allowing Rosita to move.

"Get off of me!" 

The man came out from behind the tree as Scarlett collapsed and Rosita yelled. He looked down at his wolf companion, "Good work, girl." He held his injured arm, still feeling pain in it. "Who the hell are you?!" Rosita yelled as the man kneeled by her. He chuckled, "Name's Allen.. my codename actually." It was a truthful statement. "You're after her?! Why?!" 

He looked down at her, while still gripping his injured arm, "You don't need to know. All you need to know is that--" Rosita cut him by managing to spit on his shoe. The man simply sighed in response, "Fine. I'll play it that way." He kicked the side of her head, definitely hard enough to bruise. Rosita gasped in response and he smirked at her, "If you behave, I might just let you be unrestrained so you can protect her.. your choice."

She contemplated spitting on his shoe again, but when she stole a glance at Scarlett's limp form, she felt worry hit her. Rosita wasn't going to give up.. however, right now she needed to remain unrestrained to protect Scarlett. Why the man would risk that is something that Rosita didn't understand. He obviously didn't mean himself.. but honestly she wanted to fire a million bullets into him at this moment. Something told her that it wouldn't work.. maybe listening to him, just for now, was her best choice.

He stared down at her with his glowing red eyes, "So.. what's your answer, then?" Rosita sighed in response, her eyes remaining on Scarlett. She had to protect Scarlett.. for Emilie. She looked up at Allen, hatred still firmly present in her eyes, "Fine… Just.. don't hurt her." The man nodded, the look in his eyes showing that he knew what she was going to say before she even said it.

"Athena, off." The wolf complied, still growling at Rosita quietly. Rosita barely resisted the urge to kill the man, since if he was dead, there would be no one to call off his wolf. The wolf could probably kill Scarlett in a second, since the wolf had gotten closer to the young girl. Rosita got up, looking up at him, "What now..?" She stared at him with hatred. He had gotten up from his kneeling position at this point, "You'll see." Rosita felt annoyed at this, tired of this man and his vague answers.

The man nodded towards Scarlett, "Pick her up." Rosita stopped questioning him at this point, and walked towards Scarlett. From the events of that day, Scarlett's hair had been forced out of its bun, showing just how wavy it really was. Rosita easily picked up the tiny girl, all the while looking warily at the wolf. Athena to her surprise, simply stared at her but started wagging her tail. 

Why was the wolf so happy? Before, the wolf was growling, but now she seemed to be excited. The man walked towards Rosita, and after making sure Athena was at his side. He reached into his pocket, pressing a button on a device within the pocket. A flash of light lit up the darkness from the shade of the trees, and a loud popping sound echoed. 

Rosita flinched in response to the bright light, "What?!!" She closed her eyes, somehow managing to keep a tight grip on Scarlett as she felt the world spin. Something felt weird, the spinning made her feel very nauseated. The man barely reacted, clearly used to the ordeal. To him, warping was as easy as breathing. It was probably because he had become used to it after doing it so many times.

He sighed as the environment changed, changing from a piece of woods in Georgia to the ruins of Wall Maria. Rosita almost fell over, nearly dropping Scarlett in the process. Despite the intense ordeal, Scarlett remained out like a light, not stirring in the least. Due to her being a little stunned, she didn't notice the bright light coming again as well as the same popping sound. Rosita managed to recover slightly, throwing a hateful glare in the man's direction.. but he was gone, as was his wolf.

Rosita cursed herself, wishing that she had shot him when she had the chance. Now.. both he and his wolf were gone. It seemed as though they were never even there, as they had simply disappeared. Scarlett was still unconscious, and Rosita looked down at her. The Latina woman had no idea where the hell they were nor why the man had brought them here. She also wondered how exactly he got them here in the first place.. but she couldn't ask him any of that.

They were stuck here, wherever the hell it was, with absolutely no clue of where they are. Rosita wondered if this was the same place that Emilie and Daryl had disappeared to.. but she wasn't about to get her hopes up. Her eyes scanned the area, surprised at the sheer amount of destroyed buildings there were. Something told her that she should be wary, but she couldn't figure out exactly why. Rosita had a good idea that it probably had something to do with the destroyed buildings.

It looked like a small city, with many buildings that were probably mostly in use before this place had been put into ruin. Footsteps.. very large footsteps from what Rosita could decipher approached her and Scarlett's location. Dread filled her, and she wondered what the hell made that big of footsteps. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to that question…

She was honestly terrified to find out…

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



**_*Flashback*_ **

_ Daryl winced, wanting desperately to cover his ears as he heard Emilie cry out in pain from the next cell over. Tears dripped down his face, and he sobbed as the man that was holding him laughed. Negan was simply standing there, in the corner, looking amused. "I warned ya.. didn't I..?" It was clearly rhetorical. Emilie screamed then and Daryl wanted to kill everyone in the damn camp. _

_ He knew what the guy was doing to her.. he also knew that it was his fault. Daryl was the one who had disobeyed Negan, and Emilie took the punishment for it. He'd rather them beat him than for them to ever lay a finger on her. "All ya had to do was listen.. but that's too simple, huh? Now.. your little girlfriend is paying for yer mistakes." Daryl winced, struggling against the man who had a firm grip on him. _

_ "Easy now.. one order from me, and he'll be a bit rougher.. I may even make ya watch it." Daryl's eyes bulged out, but he refused to say anything. He wanted nothing more than to torture everyone in the camp, in particular Negan and the man.. hurting Emilie.. he couldn't even bring himself to think about what the man was doing to her. He wasn't just hurting her… _

_ "Ya finished yet?" Negan called out, his eyes widening a little as Emilie made no more noise. "Yup! She passed out from it!" The man sounded cheery.. way to cheery for someone who just committed.. a very harsh level of sexual assault, that went into the category of rape. He couldn't believe the audacity of this man.. how could any of them be this fucking heartless..? _

_ Daryl felt the tears continue to stream down his face as he realized the pain that Emilie had been in. He couldn't stand it.. he was horrified that anyone could even consider doing such a thing to another human being… Negan, even though he hadn't committed the act, did nothing to stop it. "Ya got lucky that she passed out.. I'm sure that Jerry could've gone for a couple more hours if she stayed awake… It's no fun when they don't fight you." _

_ Daryl looked up as Negan looked down at him, giving the man a go fuck yourself look. "Bring her back in here.. put her clothes back on.. whatever's left of 'em anyway." Negan said loud enough for Jerry to hear. In a matter of a couple minutes, Emilie was being dumped on the floor in front of Daryl, and the man who was holding Daryl let go of him. Daryl immediately pulled Emilie onto his lap, moving her hair away from her face. Now, a jagged cut was on her cheek, blood staining the left side of her face where the wound was inflicted _

_ Negan ordered the two men to leave, who did so without hesitation. Daryl refused to even look at the man, knowing that he wouldn't be able to control himself. That would only cause more pain for Emilie, and Daryl refused to let that happen. "Ya love her.. don't ya?" He refused to answer for a moment, until he felt Negan grip his shoulder tightly, "Answer.. or I can always bring 'em back in here if ya want--"  _

_ Daryl quickly exclaimed, "No! I.. I just…" Negan waited for his answer, almost looking eager. Daryl didn't notice Emilie's eyes flickering open as he answered, "I.. I do.. I love 'er…" He admitted, not realizing that Emilie heard every word. Negan let go of Daryl's shoulder, "Good.. don't make me do this again. I'm sure you wouldn't want her to go through any more pain, right?" Negan stated and at Daryl's silence, "I'll be back in morning.. give 'er my apologies." There was no sincereness in Negan's tone as he left, shutting the cell door and locking it behind him. _

_ The redneck glared at the man until he was gone, hatred in his gaze. "D-Dare..?" His head snapped down to Emilie, who was now awake. Her eyes were wide, and she looked to have been shocked. Daryl's eyes widened, "Em… Em.. I…" He started sobbing again, lifting her up so he could hug her tightly. Emilie allowed him to cry, surprisingly not crying herself, "Is.. i-is it t-true..?"She asked him quietly. _

_ He froze, "H-Huh..?" He stuttered out, moving her head so he could look her in the eyes. "I-Is.. it t-true.. that y-you.. l-love me..?" He looked her in the eyes, feeling his face flush, "Ya heard tha'..?" Emilie nodded her head softly, and Daryl sighed. "Yeah.. it's.. it's true… I love ya… I have for a long time…" Daryl admitted. _

_ Emilie simply stared at him, and Daryl knew by the look in her eyes.. that she didn't feel the same. Even if the situation was different, if they were in a normal environment.. she would never feel the same. But, despite that.. she still allowed him to hug her while he continued to cry. He couldn't see it as her head rested in the crook of his neck, but her eyes were blank, almost as though her entire world had shattered. _

_ He loved her.. even if she didn't feel the same. _

**_*Flashback Over*_ **

Anna's eyes were wide as she stared at Daryl in surprise as well as anger. Her anger wasn't at him.. it was the one who hurt Emilie and the one who had allowed it that really made her mad. She also felt guilty for how she pushed Emilie in there.. now she knew part of the reason for why Emilie was acting the way she was. The short brunette was clearly broke from it.. and bottling it all up had just caused her snap.

"I.. that.. that's really what happened..?" Anna hoped it was a joke, but when Daryl's eyes filled with tears as he nodded.. she knew that he wasn't joking. The strawberry blonde felt tears build up, wanting to rush back in there and hug Emilie tightly. "I know wha' ya wanna do… Don'.. right now isn't the best time to bring up the fact tha' ya know… Jus' sleep with 'er.. like ya used to when ya were younger… Make 'er feel safe.. don' mention it jus' yet…"

Anna stared at him, looking into his eyes. His eyes showed everything he was feeling, and it was clear that telling Anna the truth was difficult. "I.. I thought ya said ya weren't goin' to tell me…" The strawberry blonde asked him, a hint of confusion present in her tone. At that moment though, Hange returned with Mike right behind her. Anna greeted them softly before turning her attention back to Daryl. Hange seemed curious but decided to ask Anna about it later.

She heard the slight sound of the door closing behind Hange and Mike. Daryl let out a sigh, "Because ya needed to know.. even if she hates me for tellin' ya.. that doesn' change the facts… I'm too much of a coward myself to get 'er to talk 'bout it.. but ya aren' Anna, you would get her to talk.. but the only way for you to know how to do it is to know the truth…" He explained to her. Anna looked at him, understanding filling her eyes and overall facial expression.

Daryl simply closed his eyes, "Ya know it, righ'..?" Anna sighed, "Y-Yeah.. I know she didn' mean it… I also.. I also know tha' ya think its your fault…" He opened his eyes to look at her, but he couldn't do anything as she hugged him tightly. Daryl tensed, more out of surprise than anything, as Anna hugged him. She buried her head in his chest, and Daryl didn't know how to react. Anna had always hugged him, but never like this. 

He finally decided to brush one of his hands through her braided hair, the other on her back. Something felt strange about this.. he wasn't sure what it was, but something was definitely different. Eventually Anna pulled away, tears staining her face. He felt compelled to make her tears go away and so he did, which made Anna stare in confusion as he wiped away her tears. "Em wouldn' want ya to cry…"

Anna nodded, not fully believing his statement. She knew that it was true, but that he was definitely keeping something from her. "I.. I know tha'... I'm sorry Daryl…" She wasn't just apologizing for crying, but also for not being there. So much had happened since she had disappeared.. she wished she could've been there… She should've been there…

"Don' apologize.. none of it was yer fault…" Anna looked at him, unable to get rid of the guilt that she was feeling. Daryl knew what she was thinking, and he knew what she was feeling. Anna sighed again, only then realizing that she had practically climbed into his lap when she had hugged him. Her face flushed, but she leaned in kissing him on the cheek. "Thank ya.. for everything…" Daryl's face flushed in response.

"N-No.. no problem.. yer w-welcome…"

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



Beth allowed her legs to hang over the branch of the tree, letting out a sigh. She knew she had about ten minutes until she had to go to the girl's dormitory. Honestly, while she wasn't too hurt about what Jean said.. she still felt the need to be alone. Without her sisters or father to talk to.. she had no one. She was truly alone.. which was something she had always dreaded.

Reaching up, she touched the scar that rested against her temple. She wondered if she would ever see her sisters again, as well as Daryl. "Hey..! How did you get up there?" Beth looked down, spotting the familiar two toned hair boy standing at the base of the tree. "I climbed." She answered, stating the obvious. Jean's eyes bulged, "Really..? But.. it's so high…" Beth shrugged, before effortlessly managing to climb down the tree.

Jean watched her, a little surprised at how easy she managed to do it. "I'm from a farm, remember..? I used to climb trees all the time with my siblings." Beth explained before she leaned her back against the tree. She slid down it until she was sitting on the ground with her back resting against the tree. Jean, to her surprise, did the same. He was silent for a moment, but Beth scanned his expression, "So.. who told ya to apologize..?"

His head snapped in her direction, "N-No one…" Beth laughed softly, "Liar.. was it Marco?" Jean didn't say anything, but his eyes told Beth that she was right. "Hmm… It was him then… So.. are ya going to apologize or not?" Jean's face flushed, embarrassed that she had figured it out so easily. "I-I'm sorry about earlier.. I didn't realize… I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Despite the fact that Jean didn't seem like he was the type to apologize, he seemed sincere.. even if it took Marco to actually convince him to apologize. "I know ya didn't. Jus'.. don't make assumptions anymore, as you could most certainly piss the wrong person off." Jean seemed to consider her words for a moment, but the bell cut off any more attempts at conversation.

"We'd better go."

"Y-Yeah…" She offered him a smile, before getting off of the ground. "See ya, tomorrow." He nodded in response, before they headed in the direction of their appropriate dorms. Beth smiled silently to herself, glad that she had managed to make Jean understand. She wished their conversation could have continued, but maybe they could talk tomorrow. Jean seemed nice, even if he was an asshole at times.

For some reason.. she wanted to be his friend.

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



***That's the end of chapter Six. What do you think?***

***Also, for anyone wondering.. the pairings are Emilie and Levi, Anna and Daryl, and Beth with whoever you want. I'll accept any ideas for the pairing, including no one at all. Let me know if there are any pairings you would like to see.. or even not see.***

**I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Sincerely, Talleybear.**


	7. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilie apologizes and finally sleeps.
> 
> Beth can't sleep and talks with a girl who's typically a lone wolf.
> 
> Allen gets back to headquarters and gets fixed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Swear warning.*
> 
> *Vague mention of attempted suicide.*

***I'm terribly sorry if the last chapter upset or offended anyone. I realize that I might have been insensitive about it, and I'm sorry if that is the case. Tell me if that upset you, if you are willing, because I will issue a personal apology to you.***

**Chapter Seven; Memories:**

The hallway where Daryl and Anna were sitting was quiet. Anna leaned her back against the wall, closing her eyes. Emilie and she had always been together, protecting each other. Guilt hit Anna as she came to the realization that Emilie had been through so much shit since the strawberry blonde's disappearance. She honestly didn't remember much about how she got here.. but she knew that someone had knocked her out and took her machete with them.

She also woke up with a horse nuzzling her face.. a familiar dapple grey stallion. The horse looked like Scout, Emilie's old horse, not only in appearance but also in personality. Scout had always been shy around most, only allowing Emilie and Anna and sometimes Daryl to ride him. His affection only went towards people he knew and liked. Anna remembered borrowing Scout, but she wondered if it was truly Scout. Either way, he was now the horse she rode and she was honestly surprised that Daryl hadn't noticed.

"Wha' is it..?" Daryl asked her quietly, causing her to open her eyes to look at him. "Nothin' important.. just… Did you notice anythin' about the horse I was riding..?" Daryl raised an eyebrow at her, before shaking his head, unable to recall anything about her steed. She looked at him, before finally deciding that it wasn't important enough at the moment. Anna made a mental note to tell him, or better yet show him, later.

"C'mon." Anna got up from her sitting position, before offering a hand out to Daryl. He accepted it, before letting out a sigh. His thoughts drifted to Emilie and how she was doing. "Thank ya…" He muttered quietly to Anna, crossing his arms over his chest. The strawberry blonde nodded in response, before opening the door to the room. Inside Levi, Hange, Mike, and Erwin were talking quietly; presumably, about their plans for moving.

Emilie was just lying in a similar position to when they had left her, one of her arms hovering over her face. Her eyes looked over to them as they walked into the room, guilt present in her expression. Giving a nod to her higher ranking officers, she walked to Emilie's side. "A-Ann.. I--" Anna cut the girl off, "I know.. it's okay… Just trust me, alright.. please..?"

The smaller girl hesitated for a moment, reluctant to consider that it wasn't her own fault, "How long has it been since you've had a good night's sleep?" The strawberry blonde asked, looking down at Emilie's face. Emilie moved her arm that was hovering over her face down to her side, giving an uncomfortable smile. She knew that Anna wasn't going to like her answer, even if she lied.

"Couple months.. maybe more…" That's not to say that she never slept, but she definitely slept much less than she needed. Part of it was because of the apocalypse, the other was her inability to sleep peacefully without Daryl or Anna by her side. Even then, she still couldn't sleep sometimes, plagued by non-stop thoughts instead of nightmares. 

Anna sighed in response, "Em…" The brunette shook her head in response, "I'm good.. it's not a problem, really…" The strawberry stared for a moment, and Emilie turned her head away. "I'm sorry.. but it's honestly not a problem… I.. I've had worse." Anna's eyes narrowed at that, knowing what Emilie was referring to. The tall girl didn't tell Emilie that though, simply allowing the sadness to show in her eyes. "Em.. you don' need to apologize…"

The brunette looked up at her best friend in a little surprise, "It is a problem.. whether ya wanna admit it or not." Emilie simply shook her head in response, "I'm still sorry… Especially about snappin' at ya earlier.. I shouldn' have done that…" Anna said nothing in response, then doing something that Emilie didn't expect. The strawberry blonde lifted herself onto the cot that Emilie was lying in, moving the brunette that way the girl was lying partially on top of her.

Memories ran through Emilie's mind, as she felt the familiarity of Anna's presence. Since they had become best friends, this was how they would sleep during their sleepovers. It was a bit strange honestly, but it was comfortable for them. "It's okay, Em." Is all Anna said in response, before looking up at Daryl, who had simply been watching their interaction.

She smiled at him, while giving him a reassuring look, before glancing back down at Emilie. "Sleep.. you need it." The brunette said nothing in response, but closed her eyes while resting her head on Anna's shoulder. Emilie had fallen asleep in a couple of minutes, clearly exhausted. Anna smiled a little, glad that her best friend was sleeping. Daryl watched them for a moment, feeling relief as he saw Emilie asleep.

He sat down in the chair next to cot, glancing down at Anna, "I wouldn't do tha' with her.. she, even though she doesn't realize it, flinches at any touch. It's subtle enough to where, if you're not actively looking for it, you might not even notice it… She hasn't with ya though.. tha' says somethin'." Daryl muttered to her quietly, and Anna sighed, "Yeah…" She now came to the realization that the room had gone oddly silent. 

Somehow, she hadn't even noticed that Hange, Mike, and Erwin had walked out of the room. Levi was still there, his back leaning against the wall. "Levi.. where'd they go..?" He made a clicking sound with his tongue, "Brat, they left to go get the papers, that has the terms of the agreement made in court.. you would've known that if you had been paying attention." Something about his tone seemed strange, but Anna didn't comment.

"Alrigh'..." She let out another sigh, before looking down. Anna glanced down at Emilie's now peaceful face, before her curiosity got the better of her and she looked back up at Levi. "Why'd ya stay, though..? I thought you would've been the first one to wanna leave this room." Levi looked annoyed at this, "What.. did you tune out the last part of the trial?" Anna felt confused at this.

"Huh..?"

Levi scoffed, "Tch, you did tune it out then. I'm supposed to keep an eye on those two, as part of the agreement of keeping custody of them." He motioned to Emilie and Daryl, all while still looking very unamused. The strawberry blonde just sighed in response, surprised at how much she had actually tuned out. At the time, after winning the trial, she was simply happy that Emilie and Daryl were allowed to stay within the Survey Corps.

It was a good and a bad thing.

  * °•°•



**_*Flashback*_ **

_ Anna grabbed the book out of Emilie's arms, making the brunette gasp. "Ann, give it back!" She exclaimed loudly, as they were walking towards Daryl's truck. "No." Emilie sighed in annoyance, before Anna giggled softly, "Ya know I'll give it back, later." Emilie nodded, "I know." She was truthfully still annoyed about it, especially about the fact that Anna had a constant and consistent habit of taking her stuff. _

_ They opened the door to his truck, and he offered them a nod. "Took ya two a while." He commented as Emilie got into the middle seat, and Anna got the passenger seat in the front before closing the door. Emilie nodded, before pointing to the book that Anna had taken from her. "I know. I heard yer conversation." That was when Emilie noticed that he was smoking, which was illegal since he wasn't 18 yet. _

_ She simply sighed, watching as he put the cigarette in the cheap ashtray. "Dare…" He simply ignored her, rolling the window up, because he knew if he looked at her he would feel guilty about it. "Em, don't." Anna knew that Daryl looked upset about something today, but she had no idea what it was. The short brunette reluctantly complied, before sighing again and leaning her head against Anna's shoulder. She was relieved that he parked his truck off school property though. _

_ Despite how much she had tried to stop it, Daryl still picked up these bad habits.. especially when Merle was around. Merle smoked, so Daryl picked that up.. and Merle drank so, of course, Daryl picked that up too. Hershel would probably have a fit, as he had become like a fatherly figure to Daryl. Emilie's father practically banned drinking, and Emilie knew that he wouldn't like Daryl doing the thing that he had basically forbidden. _

_ Daryl took small glances at them as he drove, sighing as he finally pulled up to the Greene property. He stopped close to the house, waiting for them to get out. Anna did so, but Emilie stared at Daryl for a moment, noticing just how hard he was gripping the steering wheel. "Aren't ya coming.. don't ya wanna see daddy and Annette..?" Daryl was silent, looking down. He pulled his key out of the ignition, all while refusing to make eye contact with her. _

_ She looked at him with worry, before placing a hand on his tense shoulder. "What is it, Dare..? What's wrong?" Daryl looked like he was struggling with something, before he reluctantly looked at her. He took a minute to find his words, obviously hesitant to tell her the truth. "I.. I.. I thought I saw someone this mornin'... I thought I jus' imagined it at first.. then, before ya.. came out of the school.. I saw someone again.. it looked like he was watching me…" _

_ Emilie gaped at him quietly, confusion and worry present in her expression, "W-What..? Do.. do ya know who it was..?" Daryl shook his head, before getting out of his truck and shutting the door. "Don' ya think we should report this..?" Emilie questioned, but Daryl shook his head, "It won't do any good.. they weren't close enough for me to get a look at their appearance.. and I'm not even sure tha' this person was a guy…" _

_ The short brunette still looked worried but reluctantly agreed after realizing he was right. "Em, Daryl.. are y'all comin' in?" They looked up at Anna, who had stopped at the top of the stairs on the porch. "Yeah." Anna nodded before heading into the house, passing Maggie on her way in. Maggie greeted her along with Emilie and Daryl, before going down the steps and heading down to the horses. _

_ "Hey sweetheart, how was your day?" Hershel greeted as Emilie walked into the kitchen. "It was fine, daddy…" He didn't look to believe her, but simply allowed her to sit down at the table next to Anna. Hershel looked up at Daryl as the seventeen years old stood awkwardly in the doorway leading to the kitchen. "Hey, son, come sit down… You are welcome here, y'know." Daryl nodded, still a bit tense, but he sat down on Emilie's other side. _

_ "Are y'all alright..? You're quieter than normal.. and that's sayin' somethin'." Emilie shrugged in response, catching an apple as Hershel tossed one to her. "Thanks…" Hershel did the same for Anna and Daryl, who thanked him. "Annette is working late today, so dinner will be a little late.. get another snack if ya need to." They all three nodded, but Emilie perked up a little, "Daddy, ya know we can cook, right..? Why can't we make dinner..?" _

_ Hershel shrugged, "It's Beth's second birthday, today.. and Annette is making a special dinner for all of us. I'm sure she'd appreciate it, if you help though." Emilie nodded, smiling happily which was surprising. She hadn't been happy in months, so Hershel was glad to have anything to make his second oldest daughter happy. Someone walked through the door, and he looked to be a little younger than Emilie. _

_ "Hey, Shawn." Emilie greeted her step brother, who ruffled her hair in response. She tried to smack his hand away but was unsuccessful, making everyone laugh at them. Daryl, even in his down mood, cracked a smile and chuckled quietly. Emilie glared half-heartedly at Shawn as he finally finished being annoying. "How was your day, son?"Hershel asked, and Shawn smiled, "It was good.. boring, though." Anna nodded in agreement.  _

_ Shawn hopped on the counter after grabbing an apple. He only got to sit there for a minute before Annette walked through the door. "Hey, hon." She kissed Hershel on the cheek, "You're home earlier than expected." Hershel commented on his wife's early arrival. She nodded, "Talked to the boss, managed to get off early." Emilie glanced up at her step mother as the woman offered her a smile. _

_ She smiled back hesitantly, enjoying the moment when Annette gave Shawn a lecture about why he shouldn't sit on the counter. Emilie spotted Beth playing at her feet, giggling quietly with the stuffed dog she had received this morning.This was one of the memories she treasured the most. It was a light in a bunch of memories that were mainly dark… She wished it could stay like that. But the memory was gone.. so was most of her family.Maggie, out of her blood, was her only family left. _

_ Things would never be the same.. ever again… _

**_*Flashback Over*_ **

  * °•°•



Anna glanced down at a still sleeping Emilie, surprised when the brunette smiled in her sleep. She sighed, glad her best friend was finally sleeping. Emilie deserved a good night's rest, and she didn't deserve all the trauma she had been through. No one deserves that kind of trauma, matter of fact. The strawberry blonde glanced up at Daryl, who had fallen asleep in the chair. She smiled a little, knowing that he was exhausted.

She glanced at Levi, who was watching them quietly. "When are we supposed to leave tomorrow..?" Anna asked quietly, while reaching to pull her hair ties out of her twin braids. "Pretty early." Is all he said in response, looking away from her. Even from here, she could see the dark circles under his eyes. "Aren't ya gonna sleep..?" Levi shook his head, "No.. I need to wait for them to come back anyway."

Anna decided against trying to get him to sleep, knowing that it was no use. She decided to store the hair ties in Emilie's pocket, but she quickly realized that something else was already in her pocket. Anna gripped the object, before realizing that there were two items in Emilie's pocket. She pulled one of the objects out of the girl's pocket, surprised at the unfamiliar pocket knife in her hand.

Levi seemed to be watching with interest, looking curiously at the knife Anna was holding. The strawberry blonde reached back into Emilie's pocket, pulling out the familiar form of Emilie's switchblade. The handle was worn with age and obvious use, but otherwise, it looked pretty similar to when Emilie had first got it. She still seemed to try to keep it clean, which perhaps proved the nostalgia of the blade.

She looked at the switchblade, tucking it back into Emilie's pocket. The pocket knife remained in her hand, though, and she instead threw it at Levi, who caught it with ease. "Why are you giving me this?" Anna sighed, "I don't recognize it.. she could've gotten it since I disappeared of course.. but I don' like it…" Anna knew that Emilie wouldn't have a separate knife, not in the same place. If she did have a spare knife, she would've put it somewhere else.

"Keep an eye on it for me, please..?"

"Fine, brat."

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



Beth rested her head on the pillow, sighing as Sasha's snoring kept the blonde up. It was agitating honestly, and Beth wished that Sasha would stop snoring. The blonde wished that she didn't have to share a bunk with Sasha, as she heard the persistent snoring of the girl in the top bunk. Sasha wasn't that bad of a person but sharing a bunk with the girl made it difficult for Beth to sleep. 

The blonde attempted to sleep for a few more minutes but eventually gave up, sitting up as quietly as she could manage. She glanced around the room, looking at all of the other girls, making sure they were asleep. All of the girls looked to be sleeping, tired from the harsh day of training. It's only the beginning though, and Beth knew that training would only get harder.

Sneaking out wasn't an option.. unless Beth wanted to get caught, which she really didn't. There wasn't really anything she could do besides try to sleep, but she knew that her habit of being a light sleeper would interfere.. especially with Sasha snoring. She could even try to take a shower, but she didn't feel like going in there.. partially out of fear that one of the girls would get up and walk in on her.

It wasn't that she couldn't handle taking a shower in front of other girls, it was the fact that it would probably scare her half to death. She had a tendency to startle easily, which was understandable considering how alert you had to be in the apocalypse. Any little noise could send her on alert, which is why it was so hard for her to live in an even remotely calm place.

When she woke up in Trost, she didn't have much with her. All she had were her memories, her clothes, and a brand new scar on her forehead in addition to the one on her wrist. She found herself recalling the memories of her family and before the apocalypse had even happened. Beth found herself missing them, especially her parents. She missed everyone else of course, but her parents raised her.. she knew she would've had to bury them eventually, but she wished things could've been different.

"Hey…" Beth looked up, spotting Annie who was on the bottom bunk across from her and Sasha. "Couldn't sleep, huh..?" Beth nodded in response, surprised that Annie was speaking to her. Annie seemed to avoid social contact outside of Bertolt and Reiner.. although, even then she seemed to even avoid them. Beth could relate to that, but she still wondered what compelled Annie to start a conversation with her.. of all people.

"Sasha..?" Annie pointed to Sasha, who was still snoring loudly. The other girl nodded, looking down at the floor. Annie was quiet for a moment, before speaking up again. "That's understandable.. you're a light sleeper, aren't you?" Beth nodded, "Yeah.. any little sound wakes me up…" She admitted, looking back up at Annie, who was as stoic as ever. "Plug your ears with something.. maybe your pillow could act as a muffler."

Beth cursed herself mentally for not thinking of it, before looking at Annie, "Thanks for the suggestion…" Anna shrugged in response, "Don't mention it.. she was keeping me up too." Annie admitted, not giving Beth a chance to answer before turning over in the bunk, pulling the pillow so it covered her ears. Beth sighed, before lying back down on the bunk. Like Annie had suggested, Beth wrapped the pillow around her head which muffled the sound of Sasha's snores.

She tried to relax and calm her thoughts, closing her eyes. Beth knew that sleeping was a necessity, and she couldn't afford to be tired during training. The blonde hoped that she would be able to find her family.. but she doubted that she would ever see them again. Even then.. she still wanted to help people, but if she found her family.. Beth would do anything to stay with them.

She wasn't about to give up. No matter what.

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



"You're back!" Allen looked down at the woman who greeted him as he warped into the headquarters. "Yeah." She smiled at him, looking happy until her eyes fell onto his injured arm then to his head. "You're hurt..!" Allen shrugged it off as she inspected his arm worriedly. "What happened..?" She questioned, and he sighed. "The little bitch managed to cut me.. she managed to take the machete too."

The woman nodded, looking upset, "Damn.. I should've fucking gone with you…" Allen shook his head, giving her a stern look, "No, it wasn't your fault.. I couldn't risk you getting hurt, Erika." Erika looked up at him, hazel eyes still shining with concern. "Allen.. she's not a little bitch, she's my daughter." He shook his head, "Right.. like you give a shit about her. You did just abandon her, giving her father full custody of her."

Erika nodded, "Even so.. I still care about her." She led him into their shared room, removing the piece of his torn cloak from his arm. He winced as she stitched it up, after cleaning up the blood that painted his skin. She finished, before looking up as someone knocked on the door. "Who is it?" She asked, and a soft voice answered. "It's Madeline.. I've brought you the herbs you requested." Erika got up and opened the door, revealing a girl with light brown hair and bright green eyes.

"Good.. I'll need the same tomorrow." The girl, who was dressed in less than impressive clothing, bowed her head. She ignored the fact that the woman hadn't even bothered to say thank you, "Of course… Same time, Miss Leonhart?" Erika nodded, hazel eyes telling the 5 foot 3 woman to go away. Madeline looked dejected but nodded, giving another bow of her head before leaving.

Erika shut the door behind the timid woman, placing the herbs in the pouch they were supposed to go in. Allen stared at her, wincing as she took a look at his forehead. "Easy." Erika ignored his complaint, "C'mon, it don't hurt that bad." Allen gritted his teeth and allowed her to fix the wound. "You didn't need to be that rude to her, y'know." Erika shook her head, "I have to though.. Ella don't like us treating her sister nicely… You know that."

He nodded after she finished up, "Yeah.. poor girl." Madeline was a sweetheart compared to her twin sister. Complete opposites, one bad, one good. "Says the man who just called my daughter a "little bitch"." Allen shrugged before wincing as she hit his injured arm, "Sorry… But Madeline has never tried to do anything to me." Erika smirked at him. "You also haven't tried to kidnap Madeline."

Allen smiled, "I guess that's true." Erika smiled back, "Of course it's true." He smirked at her before she leaned in and kissed him. "You need to go report it to him." Allen nodded, getting off of the bed he was sitting on. "I'll be back." Erika nodded, before remembering something. "Did you feed Athena yet?" Allen stopped before giving a shake of his head, "Nope.. I was gonna do it after I report this." Erika smiled, "I can do it.. for a price." He smirked before leaving the room.

Erika's smile fell as he left.

  * °•°•°•°•°•°•



***That's the end of chapter Seven. Hope you enjoyed.***

***Also, if you want me to change the pairings, tell me. I'd even be willing to do same-sex relationships or even love triangles. Just tell me what you think. It really helps.***

***Sorry again about the last chapter.***

***Sincerely, Talleybear.***


	8. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl starts his training.
> 
> Anna visits Emilie in the infirmary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I am terribly sorry about the long delay. This chapter isn't that long and it doesn't really have much story. The pairings have been changed, so read the note at the end of the chapter.*

* _There's a slight timeskip in this chapter, to where they are now in the scout headquarters(the one that's not outside the walls), and Daryl is taking his first lesson from Levi. It's only been 2 days, including where they're traveling to the headquarters._ *

Chapter Eight; Training:

Year: 847

Daryl somehow managed to sleep soundly in the chair next to the cot Emilie was lying in, his muscles relaxed. Typically, they didn't allow people who weren't injured to sleep in the infirmary .. but they made an exception since Daryl refused to sleep if they didn't let him be near Emilie. That would probably hinder his training, which would start way before Emilie's, for obvious reasons. He was supposed to train with Captain Levi, but he wasn't too sure how that would go.

Sleeping peacefully wasn't something he could do in the apocalypse, unless they were somewhere safe. Emilie was the same, however, she could only sleep with him or Anna near her. Since the incident when she was 14, nothing could get her to sleep other than his or Anna's presence. Being near her, knowing that she would be okay, made Daryl feel better. As much as Anna tried to convince him that it wasn't his fault.. he felt that what happened to Emilie was his fault.

"Hey." Daryl ignored the voice, until he felt a hand shake his shoulder. "Tch, the only reason I'm not yelling is because I don't want to deal with them if they wake up."Plural because of course, Emilie wasn't the only one in there. The redneck finally opened his eyes, looking up to see Levi who.. didn't look very happy to say the least. "Finally.. took you fucking long enough. C'mon.. put on the uniform we gave you."

Daryl could tell that Levi wasn't in the mood for screwing around, and nodded. "Yes, Levi." The man shook his head in response, "I'll allow that since we're alone at the moment, brat; however, you will call me Captain Levi or just Captain from now on." The redneck nodded in response, "Yes, Captain." Daryl said as Levi gave him a look. Eyes, before leaving the room, fell onto Emilie's sleeping form.

Since neither Anna or he could be by her side all the time, Hange had decided that sedating Emilie was the best course of action. It seemed to have worked and she could rest, without waking up from nightmares. "Worried?" Levi questioned as he saw Daryl staring at Emilie, looking reluctant. The redneck shook his head, not saying no but rather meaning that he didn't want to talk about it.

Levi seemed to get it, "You shouldn't be.. the brat will be fine, and you should be worried about training right now." The taller man barely resisted glaring at Levi as the man referred to Emilie as a brat. Then again, Levi seemed to refer to most people as brat, including Daryl as well. Daryl nodded in compliance, before going to change in the bathroom.

The uniform felt strange and had way too many belts in his opinion. He was honestly shocked that he even managed to do it correctly. He found himself even missing his crossbow, but he doubted that he would be able to use it anytime soon. He walked out of the bathroom and spotted Levi leaning against the infirmary wall closest to the exit. The captain looked at him, nodding in approval.

"Managed to get it right the first time, huh?" Levi asked rhetorically in his normal bored tone, but his eyes showed that he was slightly impressed. Most struggled with the belts the first time, sometimes even multiple times. Daryl had figured it out, which was something you didn't see often among those who had never learned to use them. "Keep up." Is all Levi said, before he walked out the door, not even looking back to see if Daryl was following him.

Daryl let out a sigh.. this is going to be a long day.

•°•°•

Daryl was familiar with hand to hand combat, so he honestly didn't expect to be bested by a man who was only a couple inches taller than Emilie. That's how it went though, Daryl ending up on his ass more times than he could count. Levi definitely used his speed as well as strength and even his short stature to his advantage. He also seemed to be a master at predicting his opponent's moves, as well as countering them.

A familiar strawberry blonde called out to them, "Levi, go a little easier on him why don't ya." The Captain shook his head, "If I did, it would be counterproductive. Kicking his ass will help him improve." Levi knocked Daryl to the ground again, before looking over Anna. "You would know." Her face flushed with embarrassment, recalling just how many times Levi had kicked her ass during training. He also gave her a look that indicated that he wasn't happy that she had called him Captain instead of Levi, when they weren't alone.

Anna made frequent visits to the man's office to help him with paperwork and organization as well as cleaning, which was a bit weird, considering just how squeeky clean his office was already. She had basically become his unofficial assistant, but Levi never actually called her that. When she was there, it was only then that it was acceptable for her to just refer to him as Levi. She still wasn't allowed to call him Shorty, though.

She looked at Daryl and she could tell that he wasn't focused. He got up, but he seemed to be distracted. Anna had a feeling about what was bothering him and realized that she had to help him. After one more round of fighting, which resulted in Daryl being on the ground again, Anna called out to them again. "Hey, Captain, how 'bout I take over for a minute?" Levi looked at her and seeing the look in her eyes, nodded in compliance.

The short man backed away, and Anna moved to stand in front of Daryl instead. Daryl looked at her, his eyes widening in surprise. "Huh..?" He obviously had not been paying attention. Anna simply shook her head, "C'mon, hit me." His eyes widened even further, "But--" Before he could finish, he was on the ground with Anna pinning him down. "You're unfocused, Daryl.. why?"

He looked up at her, looking reluctant to answer her question. The strawberry got off of him, and helped him up, only to knock him to the ground again. "It's 'bout Em, isn't it?" Daryl shook his head but at the stern look in her eyes, relented. "Yes…" Anna nodded, helping him up. "It's because of the fighting style, ain't it?" She motioned to Levi, who had the normal look of boredom present in his expression.

Daryl nodded, letting out a sigh. Levi, while clearly stronger than Emilie, had a very similar style of fighting that included fast and nearly unseeable movements. "I can see where you're comin' from.. I noticed it too." He nodded, eyes glancing over at Levi. The captain now had his arms crossed, watching the two of them. "Cadet, you finished?" Levi asked Anna, looking to be impatient.

The strawberry blonde nodded in response, "Yes, Captain." She gave Daryl a look that clearly told him to focus. The redneck nodded his head, before forcing himself to concentrate. Anna walked back to where she had been standing before she had made the offer to knock some sense into Daryl. This time, while Daryl still didn't stand a chance, he managed to catch Levi off guard a couple times.

"Tch." Levi clicked his tongue after a couple hours of this. He gave Daryl a nod before looking over at Anna, who was now sparring with Mike. It ended with Anna face-planting in the dirt as Mike flipped her over his shoulder. Anna winced, before getting up, sighing as she realized that dirt had gotten into her hair. Mike helped her up, and she gave him a quick smile before looking over to Daryl and Levi.

Countless cadets were training throughout the yard, barely pausing. It was likely because they didn't want to upset Captain Levi and even Mike. Mike wasn't as scary as Levi most of the time, but the man's tall height definitely made him look intimidating. "Hey Daryl, I got somethin' to show ya."Anna called out to the redneck, who raised an eyebrow at her. "Wha' would that be..?" He asked, curiosity in his expression.

Anna looked at Levi who nodded at her, and she took off in the direction of the stables. The redneck watched, wondering what she was going to show him. He looked over at Mike, remembering what had happened the day prior. The tall man had sniffed him, something that disturbed yet intrigued Daryl at the same time. He hadn't really seen anyone do that before, so Mike was the first person he had ever seen sniff another person.

When Anna came back, a dapple grey stallion was trailing behind her. Daryl froze for a minute, immediately recognizing the horse to be Scout. "How..?" Anna shrugged in response, "He was there when I woke up.. I thought you would like to see him." The redneck watched as Anna approached, a little surprised as Scout immediately came to nuzzle him. It seemed that the horse recognized him.

"Good to see ya too, Scout…"

He patted the horse's muzzle, before doing the same to the horse's neck. "Seems like he missed you." Anna commented, smiling as Scout nuzzled Daryl's face a second time. Daryl nodded in agreement, "We need to show him to Em.. once she's allowed to leave the infirmary." The strawberry blonde hummed in agreement, before a thought suddenly came to her. "Speaking of Em…" She looked at Mike, "Squad leader.. may I check on Emilie in the infirmary?"

The tall man simply nodded in response, looking to be okay with it. Anna thanked him happily, with a smile, and she headed off to the infirmary while maintaining her cheery demeanor. Daryl crossed his arms and watched as she left, unknowingly smiling. Anna had changed over the course of the apocalypse, but sometimes still went back to her childlike and overly happy personality.

Levi looked over at Daryl, "Cadet.. you will wash that horse." He motioned towards Scout, who was now lying down in the dirt. Daryl's eyes bulged out in response, confused as to why he had to do it. The short Captain clicked his tongue, "Just do it." He looked around before finding a particular cadet. "Cadet Ral!" The female cadet in question immediately came over.

"Yes, Captain?"

She looked to be only about an inch taller than Emilie, and had light ginger hair with amber colored eyes. "Show this Cadet where the horses are washed." The woman nodded, looking at Daryl in obvious curiosity. "Of course, Captain." Her face flushed slightly, and she motioned for Daryl to follow her. He went to but stopped at Levi's voice, "Dixon.. come back to me afterwards. We are going to train some more."

"Yes, Sir."

Daryl followed after Petra, before whistling at Scout who looked reluctant to get up. "C'mon, boy… You're dirty, so we need to get ya cleaned up." Scout neighed in response, but got off of the ground and followed Daryl, almost looking like he was sulking. The redneck sighed in response, before flinching as the short woman suddenly talked to him, "You're training with the Captain, huh? Lucky you… Wish I could train with him…" She muttered the last part to herself quietly, her face crimson.

He refrained from commenting, already knowing that she likely had a crush on the short captain. "So.. Dixon, huh? Got a first name to go with that?" He rubbed his neck, almost feeling uncomfortable at how she was talking to him. It reminded him of Emilie, mainly of the person Emilie used to be before a certain incident occurred when she was fourteen.

"Yeah.. it's Daryl."

"That's an unusual name…"

Her face turned an even deeper shade of red as Daryl looked at her, "N-now, I-I didn't mean anything bad.. I j-just meant that it's not t-that common of a name… that's all…" Daryl stared at her for a moment, "Uh huh…" He was honestly teasing her, finding it amusing to make her flustered. She was silent, face still bright red as she approached a well.

"Usually, we wash them in the stall.. but you can wash him out here if you want. You just have to grab a sponge and some soap from the shelves in the stables." Daryl nodded, "Thank ya.. I appreciate it." Petra nodded, offering him a smile and with her face still red, she walked away. He sighed in response, before turning to the well.

After successfully getting a bucket of water, he headed into the stables and grabbed a bar of soap along with a sponge. Scout neighed as he walked out, looking at the items in Daryl's hands. The redneck simply smiled, before making the sponge soapy and setting the soap bar on a cloth that he had grabbed. He moved the sponge against Scout's neck, and then the horse's back. He made sure to get every spot, having already seen just how strict, or crazy, Levi got with his cleaning.

As Daryl made sure to get Scout clean up to nearly impossible standards, he didn't notice that Scout was looking at the bucket of water. If he had realized, he would've immediately put the bucket out of Scout's sight but he unfortunately didn't realize. As Scout swiftly kicked the bucket and since Daryl was crouched so he could Wash Scout's legs, the bucket spilled all over Daryl, soaking his uniform in the process.

He cursed, already knowing that Levi wouldn't be happy.

Scout just snorted.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

After Anna had been allowed to visit Emilie in the infirmary, she sat down in the chair beside the cot. She looked down at Emilie, who looked to be peaceful. The brunette's dependence on Anna and Daryl to be able to sleep wasn't good. They couldn't always be near her, and while Emilie was independent most of the time.. she had a dependence on both of them, although it was understandable. The brunette had been through hell, starting from when she was a teenager.

The apocalypse certainly didn't help, in fact it seemed to make it worse. "I'm sorry, Em…" Anna whispered quietly, as she stared down at the girl's face. The girl no longer looked as pale, but it was clear that she wouldn't be able to start training for a while. "I.. I should've been there… You didn't deserve that.. you didn't deserve any of this." A tear slipped down her cheek, and dripped down onto her one of her hands. 'Friends until the very end', that promise echoed within the strawberry blonde's mind.

She couldn't help but think she had been a terrible friend by not being there.. when in reality: she hadn't left by choice. Anna wished that she had never left, but she couldn't change the past. The only thing she could do: make decisions that keep the future steady and safe. But when was anything ever safe.. even in what seemed to be the safest of places, there always managed to be a danger that was often unknown until it was too late.

She had been best friends with Emilie for years and even with all the struggles that they had faced, they had managed to get through. Anna thought that she would never get to see her best friend again. Reaching down, she placed one of her hands on Emilie's hand. She looked down at her lap and became quiet for a moment. A small whimper came from Emilie, which caused Anna's head to snap up.

"Em..?"

Emilie's eyes opened.. and tears started streaming down her face.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•

* _That's the end of Chapter Eight. By the way, the pairings have been changed. It's now: Emilie/Daryl and Emilie/Levi. To make this clear, I'm not sure who Emilie will end up with. Can I please get some thoughts on it? Anna is now undecided, and I'd appreciate some input on it. I don't know if I'll do anything with Beth yet. Hope you enjoyed._ *

Sincerely, Talleybear.


End file.
